Mid-City gas station clerk fatally shot during apparent robbery

MID-CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Mid-City gas station clerk was shot to death during an apparent robbery early Tuesday morning.

The shooting happened about 5:30 a.m. at a Shell gas station near Venice and Hauser boulevards, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police said the clerk was struck multiple times by gunfire during the robbery, which involved two suspects. It's unclear if there was a struggle or if the clerk complied with the suspects' demands. The store owner told Eyewitness News that he's sure the clerk complied.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

It's not clear if there were any customers inside the business at the time.

The suspects were described as men in their 20s. Authorities said they were seen leaving the scene in a white, newer-model Chevy Malibu heading east on Venice Boulevard. It's not known if the culprits took anything.

The victim's identity was not immediately released. He was described as being in his 40s or 50s. The owner of the gas station said the victim was a humble and hard-working family man.

"It's devastating. It's devastating," owner Mazen Elkhoury said. "Right now, the business is not important to me. The business is just business - it comes and goes. We're talking about a life here."

He added that none of the employees wanted to come to work. He said customers were distraught.

Investigators said the gas station and the adjacent food mart are equipped with surveillance cameras.