LA doctor killed by gunman was attacked months earlier by three men with baseball bats
An employee said the doctor began to fear for his life after he was attacked
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A doctor who was shot and killed outside of his Los Angeles medical clinic was previously beaten by three men wielding baseball bats, according to a new report.
Dr Hamid Mirshojae was shot and killed on Friday while walking to his car at his Woodland Hills medical practice. The gunman reportedly waited outside for an hour until the doctor exited the building, leading police to believe the killing was targeted.
Now, a report in the Los Angeles Times has revealed that the doctor was once attacked by three men with baseball bats, though it is unclear if the assault and his fatal shooting are related.
Police did not say when the bat attack occurred. The Independent has requested comment from the LAPD.
"They came and they beat him with baseball bats. ... They were some strangers that we didn't know," an employee at the clinic, who requested anonymity, told the paper.
The employee said that after the attack the doctor began to fear for his life.
No one was ever arrested in the baseball bat attack, and the doctor's shooter is still at large.
The LAPD told the LA Times that the doctor likely had no idea that someone was waiting for him as he had been shot from behind. Police reviewed surveillance video that captured the attack and said they do not believe the attacker exchanged words with the doctor, saying he was "shot almost immediately."
Police believe the shooter was a man, but noted that the surveillance video is not clear enough to be sure.
Mirshojae died in the parking lot from his wounds. LA fire department paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
A makeshift memorial to the doctor has been growing outside the medical clinic, according to KTLA.
Investigators currently do not have a motive in the shooting. An LAPD spokesperson told the paper that investigators were examining the doctor's history and were examining interactions he had prior to the shooting.
Mirshojae was a beloved and celebrated doctor in his community. Part of his work involved treating detox patients battling drug addictions.
A former patient, Khedhar Quintero, told the broadcaster that the doctor was “full of love.”
“He doesn’t care that you’re just another number in his lobby, he cares about your future as well,” the patient said.
The doctor’s wife and six-month-old baby were in Turkey visiting family at the time of the shooting. Mirshojae also reportedly leaves behind three children from a previous marriage.