Man Killed in Robbery Attempt on Deputy

A man was shot to death Monday in Hawthorne after he attempted to rob a sheriff’s deputy who was on surveillance in an unrelated case, sheriff’s officials said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Lee Smith said the unidentified man was dead on arrival at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center. He had been shot several times in the upper body.

Two other men were arrested and booked at the Lennox substation for murder and attempted robbery in connection with the incident. Their identities were not available.

Smith said the deputy, whose name was not released, was sitting in an unmarked car about 2:30 p.m. on the 3800 block of 116th Street when another car with three men inside parked behind him. One of the men attempted to sell the deputy a small amount of narcotics and then tried to rob him at gunpoint, Smith said. The deputy drew his service weapon and fired several times, fatally wounding the man.