LOS ANGELES – A quiet Tuesday morning at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Colorado Boulevard reclamation facility turned deadly when two men were found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide.
LAPD officers were called to the plant at 4600 Colorado Boulevard just before 6 a.m. after an employee discovered a man down with a gunshot wound near one of the maintenance buildings. Responding officers located a second victim nearby; both were pronounced dead at the scene.
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Investigators recovered a single firearm and quickly determined the incident was not an active threat to the public or the roughly 150 employees on shift. The younger man is believed to be in his late 30s, the older in his mid-50s.
While police have not yet released the victims’ identities pending family notification, sources familiar with the investigation say both men were contract workers who had been assigned to the plant for several months. A motive has not been disclosed, but detectives are examining whether a workplace dispute escalated fatally.
“It’s devastating,” said one longtime DWP employee who asked not to be named. “You come in before sunrise expecting another normal day keeping the city’s water clean, and instead you’re walking into something like this.”
The plant, a critical part of L.A.’s wastewater recycling system, was temporarily locked down while detectives and the department’s FORCE unit processed the scene. Operations resumed by early afternoon, though trauma counselors were brought in for staff.
LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division has taken over the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
The reclamation facility sits in the heart of Atwater Village, surrounded by homes and small businesses. Residents reported hearing nothing unusual overnight, only learning of the tragedy when news helicopters began circling at dawn.
As the investigation continues, coworkers are left grappling with the stark reminder that violence can strike even in the most unexpected places.
More details will be released as they become available.