Luis Velarde, 39, a Latino man, was shot in the chest at 5735 Halbrent Ave. in Van Nuys about 1:08 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, and died at 2:38 p.m. He was outside when he was shot. He was from the area, said Det. Mike Coblentz of the LAPD's Van Nuys station.
Update: After post-mortem exam, it was found that the bullet's trajectory had gone nearly straight up, through his chest. The death was ruled an accident. He probably dropped his gun and it discharged.