Dynasty restaurant and lounge owner Alonzo Ester shot to death
Sitting in his car
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The 67-year-old owner of an Inglewood night club was shot to death early today while sitting in his car—reportedly a white $300,000 Rolls Royce—outside his home in the Crenshaw District.
The shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. in the 4200 block of Hillcrest Drive, said Officer Lyle Knight of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations office. The man died at a hospital, said assistant chief Ed Winter of the coroner's office.
He was identified in broadcast reports as Alonzo Ester, who owned the Dynasty Restaurant and Lounge in Inglewood.
According to a preliminary investigation, the man was sitting in his vehicle when another man walked up to the passenger side and shot him twice, Knight said.
LAPD Capt. Vito Palazzolo told ABC7 that police were unsure of a motive for the crime.
"The investigation is continuing,'' Palazzolo said. "We did have witnesses that heard the shots, and we have some reports that an African American male was seen leaving the location. And that's basically what we have at this time.
"We have a lot of work to do still. We are following up a number of leads and trying to piece it together, where he was coming from and what happened, what transpired.''
Joseph Wright, the victim's brother, told Channel 7 his brother had left the nightclub shortly before the shooting.
He said he didn't know if his brother was robbed.
"I have no idea, was anything taken or not,'' Wright said. "Shock to the family. They called me up this morning about 6 o'clock and told me, my sisters called me from Dallas to let me know that it had happened, they knew about it, I didn't. He came from the club.''
Police said the gunmen fled in a dark-colored sedan. But the Los Angeles Times quoted police as saying that the victim's wife heard a single gunshot and saw a man run away.
The victim owned a black and a white Rolls Royce and was driving the white one, which was in front of his home when he was shot and then rolled into a neighbor's house across the street, The Times reported.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Los Angeles police were looking for clues in the shooting death of an Inglewood nightclub owner found shot to death in his Rolls-Royce outside his home in Baldwin Hills.
A silver-colored BMW seen parked in the area may be related to the roughly 2:30 a.m. Friday killing of Alonzo "Dicky'' Ester in the 4300 block of Hillcrest Drive, police said. It was unclear if he was robbed.
Ester, 67, owned the Dynasty lounge at 206 S. Locust St. in Inglewood.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Authorities today identified a woman fatally shot by three Los Angeles police officers in Watts when she allegedly refused to drop a handgun that she was pointing at a neighbor.
Brenda Williams, 56, was shot about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 10000 block of Anzac Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. She died at the scene.
The shooting was one of three involving LAPD officers on Wednesday—two of them in Watts and one of them in Panorama City.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.—A $10,000 reward will be offered today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed a 28-year-old man in Inglewood as he shielded his 8-year-old son from gunfire.
Fredrick Martin, 28, was mortally wounded April 3 in front of his home on West 109th Street, just west of Crenshaw Boulevard.
“Fredrick Martin was killed shielding (his) son from gunfire,” said family spokeswoman Jasmyne Cannick, adding that his family is now “on a mission to find his killers.”
A memorial service will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at House of Winston Mortuary, 9501 S. Vermont Ave. for Brenda Williams, 56, a deaf and partially blind Watts grandmother who was gunned down in a controversial shooting by the Los Angeles Police Department Wednesday April 27.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.—A male was shot to death in a gang-related attack in Inglewood, police announced today.
The fatal shooting occurred around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 10900 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard, said Sgt. Brian Spencer of the Inglewood Police Department.
Officers arriving on the scene found the victim lying on the sidewalk near the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and 109th Street, Spencer said.
