L.A. man fatally shot in head in New York City; gunman sought

Police in New York City searched Tuesday for a gunman who fatally shot a 31-year-old Los Angeles man in the head near Central Park in midtown Manhattan.

The suspect walked up behind Brandon Woodard on West 58th Street near the Time Warner Center on Monday afternoon and fired what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol, striking him once, the Associated Press reported.

Woodard, 31, graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2003 and had attended Whittier Law School in California, his family said in a statement, according to the news agency.

Woodard was convicted of grand theft, a DUI and a hit-and-run involving property, all in 2009, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records. He was convicted of petty theft in 2008 and urinating in public in 2006.

He did not appear to have anything stolen from him, Paul J. Browne, the New York Police Department’s chief spokesman told the New York Times. The killing appeared to be targeted and carried out quickly.

The shooting occurred in an area filled with private surveillance cameras and those operated by New York police. At least one was directly above the site of the slaying, in front of Saint Thomas Choir School, according to the New York Times.

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-- Adolfo Flores

Video: Security video released by the New York Police Department of the man wanted in the shooting death of Brandon Woodard. The video was shot 10 minutes before the shooting.  Credit: YouTube.