Gas Station Owner Shot to Death
Police were searching for clues Tuesday in the slaying of a gas station owner who was shot to death in his office as his employees looked on.
Andranik Shakbazyan, 54, of Palmdale died of multiple gunshot wounds shortly after the 8 a.m. shooting at the Texaco station he co-owned at 925 S. Verdugo Road, said police spokesman Chahe Keuroghelian.
Authorities released few details about the killing, but witnesses told police that Shakbazyan was seen arguing with another man minutes before he was shot.
“It appears that immediately prior to the shooting the victim was involved in some type of verbal dispute,” Keuroghelian said.
Police said they do not know the identity of the other man or whether he was involved in the shooting.
Keuroghelian said police are interviewing several witnesses, including employees of the gas station. He said there were “some strong leads” in the case, but no suspects had been identified.
Police said they found Shakbazyan’s body inside his office after the shooting was reported by a gas station employee.
An autopsy by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office will determine how many times Shakbazyan was shot, police said.
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