California doctor who treated celebrities gunned down in targeted killing; suspect at large
Police in Los Angeles are searching for a suspect who gunned down a doctor who treated movie stars and athletes and was found dead near his vehicle outside a medical center.
It happened Aug. 23 around 6:12 p.m. in the 5900 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. When officers arrived, the victim was found with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at his workplace.
The victim was identified in multiple reports as 61-year-old Dr. Hamid Mirshojae.
"Everyone in the Woodland Hills area, even in LA, they know him because he was a really good doctor," Maryem Alaei, Mirshojae's family friend, told KTLA. "Always laughing, always joking, always helping people."
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A motive has not been identified, and police said the shooter took off on foot. No suspect description is available.
Staff at the clinic told the Daily Mail he was ambushed by three men with baseball bats and beaten outside the clinic just a few months ago.
There is a memorial for the doctor outside the clinic, and a vigil was held for him.
Mirshojae leaves behind a wife and 6-month-old baby who were in Turkey at the time of his slaying, according to local reports. He has three adult children from a previous marriage, the Daily Mail reported.
"He’s been my doctor for 15 years. He made me feel better," Gloria Sera told KTLA. "He was from Iran, and I don’t know if he was telling me the truth, but last time I came, he said he had just gotten married."
An online biography for the doctor on the Detox Woodland Hills website says he had "over two decades of experience providing urgent and emergency care." He had "over 10 years of experience in addictionology."
"He has helped thousands of patients achieve their goal of having a sober life," the bio says. "His patients include celebrities, movie stars, athletes and many people of different walks of life."