Man Lured From His Home, Then Slain
A man lured out of his Torrance home by a midnight firebombing was shot to death in his front yard, police said Thursday.
Robert Anderson, 40, was roused out of bed by his mother, Margaret, after she was awakened by the sound of breaking glass and saw flames in the front of their home on West 178th Street, Torrance Police Lt. Paul Nowatka said.
“He went outside to investigate the fire and was cut down by one or more shotgun blasts,” Nowatka said.
Witnesses told police a man wearing a plastic clown mask was seen outside the home before the fire erupted. He left the area in a gray 1950s pickup truck.
The fire caused minor damage.
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