As a local California community is reeling from the shocking murder of a beloved physician, new details in the ongoing investigation reveal that the victim was assaulted months before being fatally shot.
Dr. Hamid Mirshojae was shot and killed last week on Friday August 23 when leaving his own practice—the Woodland Hills Medical Clinic and Urgent Care in Los Angeles, California. Police said shortly after the shooting that it appeared to have been a targeted attack, evidence of which is now further supported by the revelation that the doctor was beaten up months earlier.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the doctor was killed around 5:30 in the evening last Friday. He was reportedly making his way to his Lexus SUV after his workday. The shooter approached him from behind, firing multiple shots and leaving the 61-year-old to die in the parking lot.
But the shooting was not the first time that Mirshojae encountered violence this year. An employee who worked at his medical clinic has shared that the doctor was afraid for his life following an intense encounter with three men who launched a surprise attack on him, using baseball bats.
According to the employee, who spoke to a local news outlet about the incident after the doctor was killed, Mirshojae was jumped and beaten up with baseball bats. The employee expressed that the physician did not know his assailants. She also spoke to the media anonymously, sharing her own safety concerns.
To date, local law enforcement has not made any arrests in the case, which remains an open investigation. They are also unsure if the baseball bat attack months ago was connected to the fatal shooting outside the medical center. Detective Christine Moselle of the Los Angeles police shared that they know about the previous attack but that is also an unsolved case.
The employee who shared news of the assault before the shooting reportedly left the medical clinic 15 minutes before the crime was committed. Returning about two hours later, police were on the scene, and she saw the doctor dead in the parking lot.
