Burglary at South Gate business escalates to murder of father of 7

SOUTH GATE, Calif. (KABC) -- What began as a burglary at a South Gate stereo shop ended in murder after a man was shot to death early Thursday morning.

South Gate police officers were called to the Car Stereo Pros store on the 13100 block of Paramount Boulevard around 3 a.m. after someone reported shots fired.

When officers arrived, the back door was open. Inside, they found one man dead. Investigators said the man was an employee of the business.

Authorities did not release the name of the man who died, but his wife said he was 36-year-old Jose Rosales. He was a father of seven.

Authorities said surveillance video from inside the store showed the suspect robbed the business and then killed Rosales.

The Rosales family said their father had two jobs and would often sleep at the stereo store instead of making the long trek home to Lancaster.

A suspect in dark clothing was seen running away from the scene in a back alley. Detectives are hoping area businesses with security cameras may have captured images of the man behind the murder.

"There's a lot of video cameras around here, so we're hoping that they picked up some good video on this. There's a lot of residents right behind. The call was prompted by the sound of gunfire, which means people may have looked out their windows," said Lt. Derrick Alfred with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

By Thursday afternoon, armed deputies brought a bloodhound to help search for the suspect and to find any clues they may have missed. But the search came up empty.

Detectives hope the surveillance video and witnesses can help find the suspect, who they said is a transient in the area.

If you have any relevant information regarding this ongoing investigation, you're urged to call the LASD's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.