Local News in Brief : Tarzana Man Victim of Apparent Slaying

Los Angeles police Monday were investigating the apparent killing of a Tarzana man who was found shot to death in his car behind a Northridge apartment development Sunday morning.

Gregory McSwain, 31, an unemployed welder, apparently died from a single gunshot wound to the head with a small-caliber firearm, police said.

He was found in his car in a carport behind an apartment project in the 19000 block of Bryant Street at about 8:45 a.m., Detective Lou Bobbitt said. He had apparently slumped across the steering wheel of his car with the horn sounding until the battery ran out, Bobbitt said. Two nearby residents later told police they heard a horn for about three hours late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and another witness also reported hearing a shot fired at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Bobbitt said.

“But police weren’t called because hearing shots fired in the neighborhood is a common thing,” the detective said. The area is composed of older, run-down apartment houses. It is notorious for heavy narcotics activity, he said.

The motive for the killing is unknown, but police are exploring the possibility that the death may be drug-related. The car was found unlocked, with the window down and $100 on the car seat, Bobbitt said.