Los Angeles: An armed security guard shot and killed a patron outside a North Hills bar early Saturday morning in what appears to be self defense.

On Saturday, July 30, 2005, at about 1:15 a.m., Mission Area patrol officers responded to a radio call regarding shots fired at the Rancho Grande Bar, located at 15327 Roscoe Boulevard, in North Hills.  When they arrived, officers saw the body of a Hispanic man lying on the sidewalk adjacent to the front door of the open bar.  Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded and pronounced the man dead due to an apparent single gunshot wound in the upper body.

The investigation determined the decedent, a patron of the establishment, had argued outside with the armed security guard, an employee of the bar, about his re-entry to the bar.  The decedent walked a short distance from the bar, armed himself with a large stick then returned to the front of the bar and confronted the security guard a second time.  The decedent began swinging the stick at the guard, attempting to strike him several times, while verbally threatening him with bodily harm.  The security guard unholstered his loaded handgun and fired once at the decedent.

The security guard, a 30-year-old resident of North Hills, was subsequently detained in order to be interviewed.  Several eyewitnesses were also interviewed. 

The investigation by Mission Area Homicide detectives revealed the security guard appeared to have fired in self-defense, and he was released pending a thorough review of the circumstances that lead up to the shooting.

The identity of the decedent has not been confirmed.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact Mission Area Homicide at 818-838-9952.  On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at the Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).