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, police told City News Service.
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.
Police told CNS that the 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.