Armed Brothers Kill Thief Who Shot Them

Two brothers turned the tables on a would-be robber Monday night and mortally wounded him with a barrage of bullets after the gunman, wearing a ski mask, attacked the pair in front of their mid-city Los Angeles home, police said Tuesday.

At least 13 rounds were fired during the shooting in the 2100 block of South Curson Avenue about 9:15 p.m., detectives said.

“I don’t think the suspect knew that the brothers were packing heat,” said a Wilshire Division detective who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The dead man was identified by authorities as Jerome Moore, 22, of Los Angeles.

Gerald Davis, 44, was shot in the legs and Nathaniel Davis, 46, was shot in the foot during the confrontation.

Detective Ed Ortiz said the brothers’ car had just pulled into the driveway of their home after finishing work at their auto repair shop in South Los Angeles. The pair had an undisclosed amount of cash, the day’s receipts from the shop, at the time, Ortiz said.

The gunman rushed up and ordered Gerald Davis, who had gotten out of the car, to sprawl on the ground. He then fired several rounds from a semiautomatic pistol at Gerald Davis, hitting him at least three times in the legs, Ortiz said.

Nathaniel Davis, who was still in the car, pulled a .38-caliber handgun and began firing at the masked assailant, Ortiz said.

At the same time, Gerald Davis, although wounded, also began returning fire--from a .38-caliber revolver he was carrying, Ortiz said.

The gunman, mortally wounded, ran about a block from the scene of the shooting to his car, detectives said. Officers, summoned by the brothers, later found Moore in his car with a gunshot wound in the chest, detectives said.

A ski mask and a semiautomatic pistol were found in the car, Ortiz said.

Moore was taken to Midway Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

The two brothers were also taken there for treatment of their wounds.

Homicide investigators said that neither brother was held because detectives believe they acted in self-defense in the face of an apparent robbery attempt.

The district attorney’s office is expected to review the circumstances surrounding the shooting.