A man is dead after exchanging gunfire with a FedEx driver Tuesday, Dec. 17, during an apparent robbery in Lawndale, police said.
The driver, a 32-year-old man, told police he was making a delivery just after 7 p.m. on the 600 block of Unruh Avenue when he was approached by a man who took his wallet and keys and shot him in the stomach.
Officers found him slumped over behind the wheel of his delivery truck in the parking lot of the ACME Market at 6640 Oxford Ave., according to authorities.
He was transported to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he is in stable condition.
Meanwhile, police were called to the 1400 block of Creston Street in Oxford Circle, where they found Jevan Lundy, 27, unconscious in an alleyway with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers rushed him to Einstein, where he died around 8:30 p.m.
Investigators believe Lundy was the robber. He was found with a FedEx identification card belonging to the driver, Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said.
A second man with Lundy was taken into police custody for questioning. Officers found blood and a .40-caliber cartridge inside that man’s Audi, which was parked nearby on the 6000 block of Large Street, police said.
“It is possible that this individual may have been an accomplice of Mr. Lundy during the commission of the robbery,” Smith said.
He said police recovered a 9mm gun from the driver in the ACME parking lot. The driver told officers at the scene he fired at the suspect, and Smith said he had a permit to carry.
On the 600 block of Unruh, investigators found blood and 11 shell casings from a 9mm weapon, though police are waiting on ballistic tests to determine if the shots were fired from the driver’s gun.
Lundy wasn’t found with a gun, and Smith said investigators aren’t sure whether there were two firearms involved in the shooting.
“I believe that a robbery took place, and then, at some point, they either both had firearms or they wrestled for control over (the driver’s) firearm,” he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Lundy has eight out-of-state arrests, some of them recent, Smith said.
There’s still a lot of work for detectives. Smith said investigators are combing the area for video surveillance and are looking to further interview the driver, who has been in and out of surgery.
Authorities did not want to release his name, as he is currently considered the victim in the case.
Heather Wilson, a FedEx spokeswoman said the company is aware of the shooting and cooperating fully with police.
She declined to discuss whether the company has a policy regarding drivers carrying firearms.
“The safety of our team members is of paramount importance at FedEx,” Wilson said in an email. “As such, we do not publicly disclose details relating to our security policies.” ••
