A young father-of-two Navy veteran was shot dead while driving near the Los Angeles International Airport while returning home from dinner over the weekend, authorities said.
Carl Flenoy Jr, 28, was behind the wheel with his girlfriend around 2 a.m. Saturday when he was ambushed along the 405 Freeway off-ramp in Westchester, California, the California Highway Patrol said.
“While he’s exiting the freeway, a car approached them and maybe one or two people got out of the car and opened fire on him,” Flenoy’s cousin Jay Wilson told the station KTLA.
According to investigators with the CHP, a barrage of half-dozen shots was fired at Flenoy Jr’s black Lexus, causing the vehicle to lurch forward into traffic.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene at the top of the La Tijera Boulevard off-ramp of the southbound 405 Freeway.
While initial reports indicated that the shooting was possibly linked to an earlier crash, Flenoy’s family said no road-rage incidents had preceded the shooting.
Flenoy had been returning from dinner with friends in Marina Del Rey. Relatives said that Flenoy had not been involved in any altercations that night.
“There’s no reason to believe that somebody would be out to get him,” said Wilson. “That’s just something that would never cross our minds.”
The cousin described the 28-year-old as a great father to his two young daughters, as well as a loving brother and son.
“It’s heartbreaking because he’s a good guy,” he said.
Wilson appealed to any witnesses to come forward with information on the killing.
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“We’re hoping somebody has a conscience,” said Wilson. “Somebody out there saw something. Somebody driving by saw something.”
As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made in the deadly shooting.