LOS ANGELES – A violent family dispute near the Beverly Center that saw a man shoot his brother to death with a shotgun while the other man was choking their mother has been ruled a justifiable homicide, authorities said Saturday.
Officers responded to the 400 block of North Alfred Street, near La Cienega and Beverly boulevards, around 1:25 p.m. Friday after reports of shots fired, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
A 61-year-old man had used a baseball bat to damage windows and personal belongings at his mother’s home and also threatened the 80-year-old woman, according to the department.
The woman called her 57-year-old son, who reportedly arrived to see his brother choking their mother. According to police, the younger brother fired a warning shot with a shotgun. His brother continued to choke their mother and the 57-year-old man then fired shots that struck his brother.
Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
LAPD determined the man’s death was ruled a justifiable homicide, not a criminal homicide, and the younger brother was not booked.
According to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz, firefighters initially arrived at the location after receiving reports of a shooting victim and a person who sustained injuries from a baseball bat.
Police said the 80-year-old woman suffered head injuries that required sutures.
The motive leading up to the alleged baseball bat battery and fatal shooting was under investigation Saturday.
