Man arrested in fatal shooting of security guard outside USC off-campus apartments

A 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of a security guard early Wednesday outside a student apartment building about half a mile from USC, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The shooting was reported around 12:30 a.m. outside the Lorenzo apartments in the 300 block of West Adams Boulevard, just south of 23rd Street and east of Flower Street.

Officers responded to the scene and found a male gunshot victim, identified as an apartment complex security guard, police said in a release.

The guard was shot while trying to escort a trespasser off the property, the LAPD said.

He died at the scene, officials said. His identity has not been released.

“The individual was just trying to work, just trying to do his job, and was just trying to keep this building safe when this incident occurred,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Ryan Rabbett told KTTV Channel 11.

During the investigation, police found a possible suspect sleeping in a parking area near the lobby of the apartment building, according to the LAPD. The man, later identified as Alexader Crawford, 31, was detained without incident and found to have a handgun in his possession, police said.

Video reviewed by investigators connected the man to the shooting, and the gun found in his possession matched the caliber used in the guard’s killing, according to the LAPD.

The Metro E Line was temporarily suspended after the incident, the agency said on Twitter. Shuttle buses replaced the train between the Pico and Jefferson/USC stations. The E Line service resumed after 9 a.m.