December 13, 2012
By Shannen Hill Sentinel Intern
A Los Angeles man was killed while walking in Manhattan on Monday.
The shooting occurred around 2 p.m. outside of St. Thomas Choir School, a small boarding school for young boys. The shooter came behind Brandon Woodward, 31, and shot him with a silver semi-automatic pistol. The shooter then jumped into a getaway car and sped off, leaving the victim in a pool of blood.
Woodard had received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was a law student at Loyola Marymount University. He was also the father of a 4-year-old girl.
“This is a shock,” Woodard’s father J Lincoln Woodard told the Daily News. “He was a very good son, loving.”
Woodard was staying at the 6 Columbus Hotel a block away from the shooting. The area, near Central Park, is so secure that some of the witnesses didn’t even suspect that the event was a shooting.
“I’m thinking it was a tire popping,” said Security Guard Jose Villafane.
Even though Woodard seemed to have his life on a positive track, he had many altercations with the law, including charges for cocaine possession and a hit-and-run. In 2009 he was arrested for stealing bottles of wine and was facing an assault and battery charge from June 2012.
The motive behind the shooting is unknown, but police continue to investigate.
“There are no words to express our shock in the face of this horrendous tragedy,” Woodard’s family said in a statement released this week.
“Brandon was a Los Angeles native. He attended Campbell Hall High School, graduated from Loyola Marymount University and was presently enrolled in West Los Angeles Law School. He was a kind, gentle, and generous young man, beloved by friends, family and his community. He enjoyed spending time with his four year old daughter, Kirsten and was a devoted father and son. We eagerly await justice for Brandon. Our family requests solace and privacy at this difficult time.”