Restaurant Employee Shot Dead on Ventura Blvd.

Raul Lopez, a Hispanic male in his mid 30s who was working at on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, was shot in the chest last night at approximately 11:10pm.

The shooter was a black male, approximately 6'2" in height and 250 pounds, according to Officer Hensley of the Van Nuys Police Department.

Lopez was shot once in the chest and died en route to the hospital. 

The shooter is at large. 

The shooting took place on the 14500 block of Ventura Boulevard, just west of Van Nuys Boulevard. 

Sources tell Patch that the shooter came in with a group of males, got into a shouting argument with Lopez, and shot him once in the chest while heading out the door.

"There was some type of dispute that occurred that resulted in the shooting and the death of our victim," said Lt. Jim Gavin of the Van Nuys Station.

The victim apparently did not know the shooter, Gavin said. Police said the victim got into a fight inside the restaurant, resulting in the shooting. 

"At least at this point it doesn't appear to be gang-related," Gavin said, adding that he did not know what sparked the confrontation.

Gavin did not have a description of the vehicle the shooter fled in, but according to one unverified source, the suspect vehicle was a Black Cadillac Escalade that went south on Cedros.