A star doctor was murdered outside his own clinic by a gunman who approached him and shot him from behind as he walked to his car.
Hamid Reza Mirshojae, 61, was killed around 5:30 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Warner Plaza Urgent Center on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The emergency room doctor, who also treated drug and alcohol addiction, was shot at close range before he knew he was in danger.
Aside from grainy CCTV footage, police have little idea of the killer’s motive or identity, so they are appealing to the public for information.
Hamid Reza Mirshojae, 61, (pictured with his wife) was killed outside his own clinic by a gunman who ran up to him and shot him from behind as he walked to his car
Mirshojae’s wife and her six-month-old baby were in Turkey at the time of his murder
The footage showed Mirshojae walking to his Lexus parked in front of the clinic when the gunman ran out and shot him without hesitation.
According to staff, Mirshojae was attacked and beaten outside the clinic by three men armed with baseball bats several months before his murder.
His wife and six-month-old baby were in Turkey at the time of the murder and were believed to be on their way back to the US.
Mirshojae married for the second time in 2022 and has three adult children from his previous marriage.
His ex-wife Ahang Zarin Kelk paid tribute to the slain doctor online by announcing a public memorial service to be held on Sunday from 11am to 1pm.
“Hamid, the children and I are so shocked, we miss you so much,” she wrote.
Mirshojae married for the second time in 2022 and has three adult children from his previous marriage
Patients and friends have created a memorial outside the clinic with red roses, candles, photos and a sign that reads ‘we miss you, doctor’
“He has always helped people and treated tens of thousands of patients for decades. We have fought HARD to get life back on track, doing absolutely nothing in the apartment. And yet the world is so cold.”
“He left this world with four beautiful children. We want to be strong in the face of evil to remember Hamid – father, husband, doctor and friend.”
She said these heartfelt words despite the fact that in 2017 Mirshojae sued Kelk and her fiancé Allen Yadegar for embezzling his money.
Mirshojae and Kelk divorced in 2010, but she remained an office manager for his clinics and they worked together on other business ventures.
Kelk and her fiancé managed some of his investment properties until “Mirshojae’s relationship with Kelk and Yadegar began to deteriorate in October 2016,” according to a separate lawsuit.
Mirshojae was attacked and beaten outside the clinic by three men armed with baseball bats several months before his murder, staff said.
He accused them of “illegally collecting rent and interfering in the relationships between the properties and their tenants,” the complaint said.
The complaint alleged that Kelk and Yadegar had helped manage the properties until Mirshojae discovered the two were embezzling funds and was ordered to cease all work on the two properties in late 2016.
‘Kelk and Yadegar continued to try to collect rent and divert the rent money to themselves.’
Patients and friends created a memorial outside the clinic with red roses, candles, photos and a sign that read, “We miss you, Doctor.”
“My family doctor, my friend and football player. He was kind, funny and a caring person. His memory will stay with us forever,” wrote Kami Jan.
His ex-wife Ahang Zarin Kelk paid tribute to the murdered doctor online by announcing a public memorial service
Mirshojae’s staff told the LA Times Their boss told them that after the baseball bat attack he was afraid for his life.
“They came and beat him with baseball bats… They were strangers we didn’t know,” they said.
It is not clear whether the assault is related to the murder.
Mirshojae’s biography on his website Detox Woodland Hills stated that he graduated from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.
He was killed in the parking lot of the Warner Plaza Urgent Center on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles
He was licensed as an addiction medicine physician and had over 10 years of experience helping “thousands of patients achieve their goal of sober living.”
“His patients include celebrities, movie stars, athletes and people from all walks of life,” it reads.
Police said they arrived at the scene at 6:13 p.m., but that there was no information about the suspect and the motive was unknown.
“Detectives from Valley Bureau Homicide were notified and responded to the scene. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and additional evidence,” police said.