John Atterberry, a music executive in California, was killed today by gunfire while sitting in traffic in Hollywood. Police have identified the shooter as 26-year-old Tyler Brehm.
The LA Times reports that Brehm started firing at passing traffic at around 5 pm today. Atterbery was hit three times in the face and neck by Brehm. Atterberry was the only victim killed or seriously injured in the attack.
Brehm fired about 20 bullets into traffic and police do not believe that Brehm was targeting anyone in particular.
Courtney Barnes, publicist for Smokey Robinson, said:
“I was shocked to hear the news. His office is nearby, ours is four blocks away, it could have been any of us driving through that intersection.”
According to NY Magazine, when Brehm ran out of bullets he started shouting: “Kill me. I want to be killed.” Brehm was shot and killed shortly after.
According to the LA Times, Atterberry was the Vice President of Death Row Records. The label has been the home of some of the most famous rappers, including Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dog, and Dr. Dre. After working with Death Row, Atterbery founded the Infusion Music Group, where he worked with pop artists like Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls, and Jessica Simpson.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Brehm had recently broke up with his girlfriend of four years. His girlfirned, Alicia Alligood, said that Brehm was stressed from the breakup and had started taking drugs from an “unnamed pharmaceutical salesperson.” Alligood said that Brehm was a “humanitarian” who was hoping to “change the world for the better.”
