Northridge Man Shot to Death in Argument
A 24-year-old Northridge man was fatally shot in the head Saturday afternoon by a longtime friend during a heated argument, Los Angeles police said.
Michael Lyons was pronounced dead on arrival at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills after he was shot once in the head by Robert Kubernach, 26, a friend since elementary school, said Detective Paul Stewart of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Stewart said the killing culminated a dispute but was not drug- or gang-related.
“We are not sure what it was about or what made it escalate,” Stewart said.
The quarrel apparently began at a Van Nuys bar where the two men were drinking earlier in the afternoon with a third friend, Stewart said. The three later went to Kubernach’s house in the 8800 block of Moonbeam Avenue in Panorama City.
At the house, Kubernach shot Lyons in front of the third man, who was not identified. Stewart said the witness was in shock and has not been able to explain the circumstances behind the shooting.
Kubernach was in custody at the Van Nuys jail.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
