Ex-Grocer Slain in Front of His Bel-Air Home

A 52-year-old former grocer who was shot to death in front of his secluded Bel-Air house Tuesday apparently was killed while trying to hang onto cash and a wristwatch, a relative of the victim said Wednesday.

Jong Ho Yoo, former owner of a gourmet grocery in Pacific Palisades, had just returned to his home in the 2900 block of Woodwardia Drive when he was approached by a man who demanded money and some property--possibly a gold Rolex watch, said Lt. Ron Hall.

Witnesses told police that Jong Ho Yoo refused the gunman’s demands and wrestled in the street before being shot in the head and chest. The gunman fled in a car apparently driven by an accomplice, police said.

“The motive may have been robbery, but there is no indication that the suspect got away with anything,” Hall said.

Charles Yoo, a nephew of the victim, speculated that the gunman followed Jong Ho Yoo and his wife from Koreatown--where the couple had spent the day meeting friends and shopping.

“Most people would have given up the watch,” Charles Yoo said. “He wouldn’t. Not because it’s expensive, but probably because he couldn’t stand being wronged.