3 Suspects Sought in Palmdale Slaying

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were searching Sunday for three men who shot and killed a customer outside a Palmdale convenience store while robbing him of beer he had just purchased.

The victim and a friend had just bought the beer at the store in the 1100 block of West Palmdale Boulevard about 5:55 p.m. Saturday, Deputy Angie McLaughlin said. As the two men walked across the street to a field, the three assailants demanded the beer.

One of them pointed a handgun at the two men and took the beer.

The friend ran away and later told investigators that as he fled, he heard several gunshots. He turned to see his companion lying dead in the field, McLaughlin said.

The dead man, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was shot once in the back, McLaughlin said. The three robbers escaped on foot.