Driver Shot to Death After Honking His Horn

A motorist impatiently honking his horn at a car blocking his way in the parking lot of a Watts liquor store was shot and killed by a passenger in the offending vehicle, police said Tuesday.

The 42-year-old victim, whose name was withheld pending notification of his family, died at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center shortly after he was shot late Monday night. Detective Lionel Robert said the motorist and a passenger had been waiting for some time behind a gray car stopped in the driveway of Tommy’s Liquor at 109th Street and Wilmington Avenue.

The passenger in the gray car climbed out, walked back to the victim’s vehicle and tapped on a window with a pistol. “He asked him what his problem was and . . . (the victim) said nothing at all,” Robert said. The gunman then began walking off but spun around suddenly and fired a single shot, hitting the victim in the chest. Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call South Bureau Homicide at 237-1310.