Update 11/02/09: The three men involved in last week's shooting at a Coachella Valley car rental agency were identified Monday.
According to police and coroner reports, 53-year-old Seyed M. Sajasi of Palm Desert shot and killed 49-year-old Joe N. Khachigian of Northridge before then turning the gun on himself. The shooting happened Thursday, October 29, at the Luxury Rent a Car in Cathedral City.
The third individual involved in the shooting, who was also allegedly shot by Sajasi, was identified as 44-year-old Setrak (Steve) Balabanian from Los Angeles and he remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday.
Original Story Below:
Three people have been shot-- and two of them have died-- after a gunman opened fire inside the Luxury Rent A Car in Cathedral City Thursday, in what police are calling a murder-suicide. The shooting escalated out of a business meeting that took a turn for the worse when one of the men got up and shot the other two before turning the gun on himself, according to police.
"During the meeting, apparently there was some type of a falling-out,'' Lt. Glen Haas of the Cathedral City Police Department said. "One of the men left the meeting.''
That man came back with a gun, shot one of his partners, and then shot the other man twice before turning the gun on himself, Haas said.
Police are still investigating the incident that left the shooter dead, according to Haas. No information was immediately available on the victims' identities, other than that they were male.
The sole survivor's condition was not known Thursday night, but he remained hospitalized with two gun shot wounds.
One other person was inside the car rental agency when the shooting happened at 10:30am, but was not injured, witnesses said.
"We are currently interviewing many, many people,'' Haas said.
The rental agency is located in the area of East Palm Canyon Drive (Highway 111) and Melrose. Both lanes of East Palm Canyon between Auto Park and Cathedral Canyon had been closed off to all traffic for about an hour, but all but one lane have since been reopened.
However, the westbound number 2, or slow lane, remains closed while the homicide investigation continues. It is closed between Cathedral Canyon and Bankside. Commuters were encouraged to use use Perez Road from Date Palm Drive or Cathedral Canyon Drive to access East Palm Canyon Drive.
"Valley commuters are also encouraged to use other alternate routes to the Palm Springs area using the Dinah Shore-Mid-Valley Parkway or Ramon Rd," Lynn Mallotto of the City of Cathedral City said in a press release.
According to the company's Web site, the business where the shooting occurred was started in 2001 to provide high-end vehicles to corporate leaders and "renowned personalities.''
The business has locations throughout Southern California, including Santa Monica, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina del Rey and Newport Beach, and
also has branches in Las Vegas and Phoenix, according to the Web site.
KPSP will continue to update this breaking news story as more details become available.
