On April 3, 2022, at 6:54 p.m., several suspects entered a smoke shop located in Compton, CA. The suspects attempted to commit an armed robbery of the store and pointed handguns at an employee.
The employee was also an armed security guard for the business and he withdrew his handgun, and a gun battle between the armed men ensued.
The employee shot at the suspects and they ran, hitting one of the men. The employee was shot in the face in return gunfire by the suspects.
The suspects fled the scene. The employee sustained gunshot wounds to his face and neck and was taken to the hospital. About 30 minutes after the botched robbery, deputies responded to Martin Luther King Hospital regarding a gunshot victim.
Investigators discovered the gunshot victim was one of the smoke shop robbers whom the store employee had shot, the shot suspect died at the hospital.
Another suspect was arrested. The other suspects have not been found.
