The man fatally shot in the driver’s seat of a car parked in La Mesa early Sunday was a 42-year-old San Diego man, and police suspect he was targeted, police officials said Wednesday.
Roderick Stroman was located on Waite Drive near Massachusetts Avenue after someone reported hearing a single gunshot in the area about 12:35 a.m., said La Mesa police Lt. Katy Lynch. Officers found the black sedan with its driver’s side front window shattered, and Stroman suffering from a gunshot wound to his “upper torso.”
He died before he could be taken to a hospital.
Investigators determined Stroman was sitting in the car when a suspect walked up, fired one round through the window and then fled in a dark colored four-door sedan last seen headed east on Waite toward Massachusetts, Lynch said. A description of the shooter was not immediately available.
Police believe the shooter “specifically targeted” the victim, but “their exact relationship and what led to Mr. Stroman being targeted remains under investigation,” Lynch said.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Police Department at (619) 667-1400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (888) 580-8477 or sdcrimestoppers.org.
