Retired sheriff's deputy shot while answering door in Redondo Beach

REDONDO BEACH (FOX 11/CNS) - A retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department employee was shot and wounded early this morning when he answered his door in Redondo Beach, police reported.

The shooting was reported around 12:30 a.m. in the 500 block of Avenue G, said the Redondo Beach Police Department.

Police Lt. Shawn Freeman said the man was shot in the abdomen and wrist and was taken to a hospital for surgery. The condition of the man, reportedly 75 years of age, was not immediately reported.

"Someone knocked on his door, there was an exchange of asking him who lives there,'' Freeman told Fox 11. "The next thing that happened, according to the victim, is he's shot through his side window.''

The man told police the suspect was an Hispanic man about 5 feet 5 inches tall, Freeman said, adding that a witness said the man was white.

"The victim reported to the Redondo Beach Police Department that he is a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy,'' Freeman said in a statement.

"Redondo Beach police confirmed that the victim did work with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and retired in 1978,'' Freeman said.

"No nexus between the victim's prior employment and this shooting is known, as the motive and circumstances leading up the shooting are still under investigation.''

A sheriff's department spokesperson declined to confirm if the victim was a sworn employee of the department.

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