Lawrence Smith, 24

March 4, 2008, 6:22 p.m.

Lawrence Smith, 24, a black man, was fatally shot in an officer-involved shooting at 5160 Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.

According to police, the shooting occurred when an off-duty U.S. deputy marshal saw two men attempting to rob the store he was in. Police said the marshal confronted the robbers and fired several shots.

Smith was hit in the head and taken to a hospital, where he died at 6:22 p.m.

The name of the marshal was not released, pending an investigation of the shooting. The second black man fled on foot and is still at large. The incident may be linked to a series of robberies in the area by the Skeleton Bandits, police said.

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Two reader comments

Talk about poor heist timing for the Skeleton Bandit. Out walks a guy holding a bag of money and a butcher knife and in walks an armed US Marshal. Not sure if he was dressed in his green skeleton bandit outfit. Either way, the bandit didn't win this fight. See the link for more details:

http://cbs2.com/local/green.skeleton.autozone.2.670774.html

The article states that "A man believed to have been Smith was captured on video wearing a green skeleton Halloween costume as he robbed a convenience store on Friday." Other articles state that, "It is estimated that other recent heists helmed by the "Skeleton Bandit" had netted the robber just under $700; one score at the H&K Mini Market on Sherman Way garnered the thief a mere $9."

The only reason the marshal was there was because the guy he was protecting "wanted to go to AutoZone to purchase a pair of car antennas to take back with him."

Bad, bad luck for the Skeleton Bandit.

— JB Aug. 2, 2010 at 12:32 a.m.