Business Dispute Ends in 2 Slayings; Gunman Kills Self

A long-standing business dispute ended in tragedy when a 40-year-old man killed two Koreatown businessmen and then committed suicide, police said Wednesday.

During an altercation Tuesday evening, Kyu Tae Yi, 40, called his sister, telling her that a dispute over investments had ended, Det. John Anderson said. Yi then hung up.

Yi had invested money with the two men. He visited them at their office, shot the two men and then killed himself, authorities said.

When Yi’s sister went to the Wilshire Square office building, she discovered the three bodies. The building is in the 3300 block of Wilshire Boulevard at the northern edge of Koreatown.

Paramedics pronounced all three men dead at the scene.

One victim was identified by coroner’s officials as Richard Shin, 27, believed to be the manager of a nearby restaurant and shopping center.

The second victim, 48, was not identified publicly pending notification of next of kin, police said.

The dispute between Yi and the two men included lawsuits and countersuits, police said. No other information on the dispute was available Wednesday.

Investigators recovered a number of shell casings and a semiautomatic handgun, which police believe was the murder weapon.