‘Kind, Funny and Caring’ California Doctor Shot Dead in Ambush at Clinic—Months After Baseball Bat Attack

A prominent California doctor was fatally shot as he was walking to his car outside his own clinic when a gunman ran up and shot him from behind, according to authorities.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, Hamid Reza Mirshojae, 61, was killed in the parking lot of Warner Plaza Urgent Care in Los Angeles.

Authorities say the urgent and emergency care doctor, who also treated drug and alcohol addiction, was shot from point-blank range before he even knew he was in danger.

The fatal shooting comes just months after Mirshojae was ambushed by three men with baseball bats and beaten outside the clinic, according to his staff.

One worker told the Los Angeles Times that Mirshojae told them he was in fear of his life after the baseball bat attack.

“They came and they beat him with baseball bats… They were some strangers that we didn’t know," the staffer said.

Police noted it was not clear if that beating was linked to his murder.

Mirshojae’s wife and six-month-old baby were in Turkey at the time of his fatal shooting and are believed to be returning to the U.S.

The victim got married for the second time in 2022 and has three adult children from his first marriage. His ex-wife, Ahang Zarin Kelk, paid tribute to him online in announcing a public memorial service to be held on Sept. 1.

Kelk wrote, “Hamid, the kids and I are in so much shock we miss you so bad,” the Daily Mail reported.

She added, “He left the world four beautiful children. We want to be strong in the face of evil to remember Hamid - father, husband, doctor and friend.”

In 2017, Mirshojae reportedly sued Kelk and her fiancé, Allen Yadegar, accusing them of embezzling his money.

Mirshojae and Kelk divorced in 2010, but she continued to be the office manager for his clinics and they also worked together on other business ventures.

Kelk and her fiancé managed some of Mirshojae's investment properties until October 2016, when "Mirshojae's relationship with Kelk and Yadegar began to deteriorate," according to a separate lawsuit. Mirshojae accused the couple of "improperly collecting rent and interfering with the properties’ relationships with their tenants."

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Outside the clinic, patients and friends created a memorial with red roses, candles, photos and a sign reading "We miss you, doc."

One mourner, Kami Jan, wrote, "My primary doctor, my friend and soccer player. He was kind, funny and a caring person. His memory will be with us forever."

Police believe there’s only one gunman involved in the fatal shooting, but have not released a description or a motive, according to KTLA.