Man Gardening in Frontyard Shot to Death
A 48-year-old man was shot to death as he gardened in his frontyard authorities said Friday.
Michael Barry Sforza, 48, was found slumped in his yard in the 15200 block of Baker Canyon Road about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the upper torso, said Deputy Bruce Thomas, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Sforza, a divorced father of two children, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide detectives initially decided not to release information about the killing to the press because “they were still investigating,” Thomas said.
Det. Jeff Leslie said Friday he wanted to make sure Sforza’s family members were notified before information was released.
On Friday, detectives asked for the public’s help in solving the case. Leslie said Sforza, who had apparently been trimming his lawn, was shot between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Some neighbors reported hearing a gunshot, but no one witnessed the shooting, Leslie said.
Detectives have asked anyone with information about the killing to call Det. Jeff Leslie or Det. Danny Smith at (323) 890-5500.
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