Man Dies of Wounds After Disobeying Doctors

A man shot in the leg in a drug-related dispute left a county hospital against the advice of doctors and died nearly a month later of septic shock caused by the gunshot wounds, authorities said Monday. Robert Mahan, 46, died Sunday at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, Compton Police Sgt. John Wilkinson said.

Officers investigating a report of gunfire in the area found Mahan lying in an alley near the 800 block of East Pine Street about 11:25 p.m. on Aug. 1, Wilkinson said. Mahan had been shot twice in the left leg. Mahan was treated by paramedics and taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. “The victim told officers he had been shot during a drug transaction by two male Latins,” Wilkinson said.

“On Aug. 26, the victim left Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center against the doctor’s orders. On Sept. 14, he was admitted to Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital and on Sept. 22, at 4:14 p.m., he died of septic shock caused by the gunshot wounds,” Wilkinson said.