Dewayne Bernard Christian, 43

Dewayne Bernard Christian, a 43-year-old black man, died Friday, Feb. 19, after he was shot in the 14500 block of South Cairn Avenue in West Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Christian was driving home about 11 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, heading north on a narrow residential street, when he was shot multiple times, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza. 

The gunshots hit Christian in the upper torso. His dark-colored, four-door sedan continued north on Cairns “for a very short distance,” Mendoza said, before striking a parked vehicle about a block from his home.

Christian was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:50 a.m. on Feb. 19, according to coroner’s records.

Neighbors told investigators they heard shots and then spotted a light-colored sedan speeding north on Cairn Avenue, Mendoza said. Investigators don’t know if the sedan was involved in the shooting, or if the shooter was on foot or in a car, he said.  

“The shooting happened in the middle of the block, but we don’t even know if the victim’s car was stopped or moving,” Mendoza said. “That’s why our search for a witness is very important.”

Investigators are also trying to determine a motive. Christian was not involved in a gang, Mendoza said. 

Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.  

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.