Woman dies from shot to the head

A 23-year-old Burbank woman died Friday from a gunshot wound to the head after being transported to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center by her boyfriend in what officials described as a possible suicide.

The woman, whose name was being withheld pending notification of family, arrived at the Burbank hospital Friday at 4 a.m. in a truck that was parked outside, said Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center spokeswoman Patricia Aidem.

The woman was pronounced dead at the hospital, Aidem said.

A Los Angeles County coroner official on Friday said the cause of death, and a preliminary finding on whether the wound was self-inflicted, was being held pending an investigation.

The boyfriend was taken to the Burbank Police Department where he was questioned, said police Sgt. Robert Quesada. The man, whom police did not identify, was being “cooperative” and had not been placed under arrest, Quesada added.

The vehicle used to transport the woman to the hospital, a black pickup truck, remained at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center mid-morning Friday, where it was being searched.

Quesada described the shooting as “a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound,” but added that an investigation was still underway.

“Right now we are not ruling out foul play,” Quesada said. “We do have to be thorough and take our time and make sure we have all the facts.”

Officials said the shooting apparently took place at the couple’s Burbank home in the 1600 block of Edison Boulevard, which investigators had roped off the property for examination. The boyfriend then drove the three miles to the hospital.

“They are talking to [the boyfriend], looking at the scene at the house, looking at the scene [at the hospital], making sure everything jives together,” Quesada said. “If it is a suicide, or foul play, we will determine that. We have a ways to go.”