A man with a shotgun walked up behind a woman walking with her boyfriend and fatally shot her in the head Sunday night near Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood in what police said appears to be a random act of violence.
The man left the scene in a black car after the 10 p.m. shooting on McCadden Place near Sunset Boulevard. The woman, who lived nearby, died at the scene after suffering a single gunshot to the head.
The victim was identified as Carrie Jean Melvin, 30, who lived in a nearby apartment building on McAdden Place. The boyfriend, who was not injured, told police no words were exchange before the shooting.
Speaking from the family home in Morro Bay, her father Bernard Melvin said Carrie was “the light of our life.”
“She lit up a room. She was bright and multi-talented.” her devestated father added. “It’s the call that no parent wants to get.”
Melvin also said his daughter had been living in LA for the past four years as she tried to establish a career in the entertainment industry. He added that he would speak often with Carrie, and that she was in a happy relationship with her boyfriend.
Witnesses meanwhile described the shocking scene that unfolded after the shooting.
“We didn’t hear any shots, only screaming,” said Shany Miron, a tourist from Israel who was staying at a motel across Sunset Blvd. from the shooting scene.
Melvin and her boyfriend had just left their apartment, walking south of McCadden Place to a restaurant. No items were taken from the shooting victim or her friend, police said.
“A killer is on the loose,” said LAPD detective John Skaggs. “We don’t see any reason somebody would assault this woman or her companion. We’re look at all leads, right now.”
Other witnesses in addition to Melvin’s boyfriend were in the area and have provided information, Det. Skaggs said.
But investigators are also asking additional witnesses to come forward and contact LAPD West Bureau Homicide.
The location just east of Highland Avenue is home to several restaurants and businesses. It was not immediately clear whether security cameras captured video of the slaying.
Melvin worked for Web to World Media, according to information on her Facebook page. She grew up in Morro Bay and studied film and digital media production at UC Santa Cruz before moving to Hollywood.
On her twitter page, her final posting Friday was a re-tweet: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
The gunman was described as a man in his 20s. He wore a hood. After the shooting, he carried the firearm back to a smaller, black car parked on McAdden and drove off, according to Det.
Skaggs.
About a dozen homicides have been reported within a mile of the area in the past year, Skaggs said. None of the previous cases have similarities to Sunday’s shooting, he added.
Skaggs advised the public to be cautious and report anything suspicious to police. He urged anyone with information about Sunday’s shooting to call detectives at (213) 382-9470 or call the LAPD’s tip line at (877) 527-3247.
