A woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting at a Hawthorne sports bar back in July.
Dionna Phylow, who was arrested on Oct. 10, pleaded not guilty to the charges in Airport Superior Court on Oct. 14, according to court records.
Amber LaFlora, 37, was pronounced dead in the sports bar parking lot, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
The shooting occurred just before 2 a.m. on July 18 in the 11000 block of Inglewood Avenue, where officers from the Hawthorne Police Department found the victim in the strip mall’s parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
The bar was hosting a weekly karaoke night on Thursday, according to a broadcast report that indicated the victim — who was celebrating a birthday — got into a dispute with the suspect inside the bar.
Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Lt. Steve Dejong said surveillance video showed 40 to 50 people in the parking lot of the VIP Sports Bar at the time of the shooting.
A second woman, 26-year-old Emanye McElroy, pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact, according to De Jong and court records. She was also arrested Oct. 10, according to inmate records.
Phylow was being held in jail on more than $3 million bail, according to inmate records. McElroy was released after posting bond on Oct. 16.
It was not immediately known if the suspect and victim knew each other, police said.
Hawthorne police requested a Sigalert from the California Highway Patrol to close Inglewood Avenue between 116th and 118th streets during the investigation.
Anyone with information that could help investigators was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222- TIPS (8477).
