A gunman remains at large after a man was found fatally shot at a Glendale strip mall Thursday.
Glendale police responded to reports of a man down at a parking lot near Pacific and Arden Avenues at around 8:45 a.m.
Arriving officers found the male victim lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. The suspect had fled the scene.
Witnesses said the shooter was sitting on a motorcycle and waiting for the victim outside the strip mall before opening fire.
Police have not confirmed the victim’s identity, but loved ones said the man is a local music promoter in his 50s. He is also the father of two young children and is reportedly well-known in the community.
He had arrived at the plaza for an early morning business meeting.
The motive behind the deadly shooting remains unclear but witnesses believe the victim may have been targeted.
“I heard this man came to a meeting here and another man on a motorcycle came and shot the victim in the head and he died instantly,” said a witness who did not wish to be identified. “[The gunman] fled the scene.”
Sky5 images showed the victim lying on the ground just outside the Paris Baguette pastry shop. He was found on the ground in between two vehicles with the door to his white Dodge pickup truck still ajar.
It’s unclear how many shots were fired before he was fatally struck.
“As far as the suspect, I don’t have any information that I can disclose because it is an ongoing investigation,” said Sgt. Cage Abramyan with Glendale Police. “The detectives showed up [at the plaza] right after the incident took place and they’ve been working to try and follow up on leads.”
The victim’s identity was not released as the case remains under investigation.
The parking lot was cordoned off as homicide detectives investigated the scene and reviewed surveillance video from nearby businesses.
The strip mall is located about a mile away from the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria shopping centers.
Anyone with information on the incident can call Glendale police at 818-548-4911.