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HAWTHORNE (CNS) - An off-duty security guard was fatally shot during a physical altercation with a man outside a restaurant in Hawthorne early Wednesday, and a suspect in the killing was arrested, police said.
Officers from the Hawthorne Police Department were called at 2:09 a.m. to Fabulous Charbroiled Burgers at 3301 Rosecrans Ave., where witnesses told them the victim was shot in the restaurant's parking lot during a fight, according to police and reports from the scene.
"Upon arrival, officers located one adult male suffering from a gunshot wound," police said in a statement. "Officers and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel attempted life saving measures but the victim was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene."
The man's name was withheld by authorities, but family members identified him as Eddie McAllister, of Lawndale, according to Fox 11.
"Based on statements and evidence collected at the scene, Hawthorne officers and detectives were able to quickly identify a possible suspect," the police statement said. "That suspect was tracked to a nearby location in a neighboring city. At that location, the suspect was safely taken into custody without incident."
Information on the suspect's name was not immediately available for release.
Videotape shows the suspect and victim exchanging several punches before the suspect draws a gun and shoots him.
The victim's family said he stopped to get something to eat after getting off work as an unarmed security guard at the time of the shooting.
"Everybody loves him wherever he goes," the victim's daughter, Emani McAllister, said. Family members told Fox 11 that McAllister was the father of four children.
According to Fox 11, the victim, who did not work at Fabulous Charbroiled Burgers, was getting takeout when the fight broke out.
"He was one of those guys who was very personable," a family member told Fox 11.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the police detective bureau at 310-349-2820.