Detectives said the father and his 26-year-old son were sitting in their car in a strip mall parking lot in the 10900 block of Atlantic Avenue about 3:45 p.m. when they were approached by two men.
One of the suspects went to the driver side of the car, pointed a handgun at the father and demanded money from him, detectives said. Fearing for his and his son's safety, the father tried to take the gun from the suspect.
Detectives said the two men were struggling when the gunman began pistol-whipping the father in the face. That's when the son got out of the car and went to help his father. The son tried to take away the gun but was shot multiple times in the upper torso.
Both suspects fled the scene. They were described as two Black men about 18 to 20 years old.
The victims were transported to the hospital, where the son was later pronounced dead. The father suffered minor injuries, for which he was treated and later released.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
