Security Guard Shoots, Kills Fleeing Driver Outside Home Depot

LOS ANGELES, CA — A security guard shot and killed a man as he was driving away from a Home Depot store in Los Angeles Sunday, according to multiple news reports.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed the shooting to Patch but could not say if the shooter was a security guard nor whether he was merely detained or arrested following he fatal shooting.

The incident happened at 1:20 p.m. Sunday at the Home Depot parking lot at 1830 Slauson Avenue, said LAPD spokesman Officer Drake Madison.

The suspect, a male in his 40s, attempted to detain the victim after the victim assaulted a third party, said Madison.

"The victim attempted to flee the area in his vehicle when the suspect fired an unknown number of rounds, striking the victim," Madison added. "The suspect was detained, and a handgun was recovered."

The motorist, Carlos Lara, Jr., 30, of Los Angeles died outside the Home Depot, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

It wasn't immediately clear who the shooter was employed by as a security guard nor whether he was arrested or booked as of Monday.

The man’s loved ones described Lara as a father and an electrician and held a candlelight vigil for him Sunday while condemning the shooting as callous, according to NBC Los Angeles.

“His family needs answers. They need closure,” said Rubi Orozco, a friend of Lara told NBC Los Angeles. “You could have de-escalated the situation and he could have lived.”