Phony Messenger Enters L.A. Home; Man Fatally Shot

A man was shot to death in his West Los Angeles home early Saturday after his wife opened the door to an intruder pretending to be a Western Union messenger, police said.

David Elias Isaac, 47, was fatally shot by an unidentified man who forced his way into the home located on a quiet street in the up-scale community of Beverlywood. West Los Angeles Division police who are investigating the shooting said the gunman fled the scene.

Police said the victim’s wife opened the front door, shortly after midnight, after a man rang the doorbell identifying himself as a telegram company messenger. Since it was her birthday, she was not surprised that she might be receiving a telegram, police said.

After she opened the door, a man forced the door open wider and held a gun to her head. Her husband, hearing a struggle at the front door, came to his wife’s aid. During the struggle that ensued, Isaac was shot, police said.

Neighbors said they heard at least five shots coming from the house in rapid fire succession.