Lanai Ariyana Dees, Inglewood, California woman shot dead by mystery suspect in South Los Angeles after she is found dead in crashed car. No arrests.
A California family is searching for answers after a 21 year old Inglewood woman was found shot dead in her crashed car in an alleyway in South Los Angeles during the early morning hours of Sunday morning.
A release from the The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated deputies being called to the 2000 block of Century Boulevard near Wilton Place at 12:46 a.m. Sunday following reports of a shooting.
Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered a woman who had been shot in a wrecked white Mercedes sedan. The female driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Struggling for answers
‘[The LAPD officers] observed a deceased female suffering a gunshot wound [who was] seated in a vehicle that had collided with a concrete foundation,’ deputies said.
‘Investigators learned a traffic collision with injuries was originally reported to LAPD…when officers and the L.A. City Fire Department arrived on scene, they observed the victim in the drivers’ seat of the vehicle which had crashed into a concrete foundation in the alley.’
While authorities did not identify the victim, her family identified her as 21-year-old Inglewood woman, Lanai Ariyana Dees.
Video shows deputies investigating a white Mercedes sedan that was blocked off in the alley. To date it remained unclear how the victim came to be shot and by whom.
The 21 year old woman’s death left grieving family members struggling for answers and demanding justice.
‘She was an amazing person,’ Jordan Dees, Lanai’s brother told KTLA. ‘She was very sweet and very kind.
Targeted shooting or wrong place at wrong time?
Jordan said his sister was found with gunshot wounds in her car, which had crashed prior to the shooting. As for why she was in South L.A., Lanai’s brother says she was possibly visiting a friend, but doesn’t know why her car crashed and who would commit such a heinous crime.
‘We just know that she knew someone over here, and next thing you know, she got killed,’ Jordan told the outlet. ‘She was in her car, so we don’t even know what happened…the car is wrecked and she was shot.’
‘She didn’t deserve what happened to her at all,’ the grieving brother pleaded. ‘Please help. Please call the police, call me if you know me…if you know anything, please don’t stay silent, because we have to get the person that did this. We have to.’
Police have yet to say whether Dees had been a targeted victim or simply at the ‘wrong place at the wrong time.’
The suspect remains outstanding as of Monday evening, and no description was provided by authorities. A motive for the shooting is unknown, and no further details surrounding the shooting were released.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by calling their Homicide Bureau (323-890-5500).
To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers (1-800-222-8477) or visit their website.
