Westlake man found shot at LAX
Not known if death was homicide or suicide

The body of 57-year-old Westlake Village resident Robert Lee Scoville was discovered in Parking Structure 3 at Los Angeles International Airport with at least one gunshot wound to his upper torso.

At around 2:45 a.m. on May 1 an airport custodian on a break noticed a man slumped over the steering wheel of a late-model BMW parked at LAX, said Marshall Lowe, airport media spokesperson.

"The police were called and the man was found to have a gunshot wound to his torso," Lowe said.

After an autopsy was performed on Scoville, the police put a security hold on information related to the case, Chief Los Angeles County Coroner Craig Harvey said. He would not, therefore, release any information about Scoville's death except his name, age, birth date and place of residence.

LAPD Homicide Detective Mike DePasquale said additional investigation was necessary before it could be determined if the incident was a homicide or a suicide. Drug and alcohol test results would take about 60 days. Other tests such as gunpowder residue testing were also being done.

The detective also noted that a gun was found near the body and is in police custody, but he declined to comment about the number of bullets in the body or if the man had been shot while in the car.

"It's going to take a month or longer before we can say anything more," DePasquale said.

He said there were more suicides than homicides discovered inside the airport parking structures.

"We have several cases of suicides there every year," he said.

- - Nancy Needham