One of the owners of Trashy Lingerie, a Los Angeles lingerie and costume boutique, allegedly shot and killed his brother in order to save their mother.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled that Robert Shrier, 61, died on March 7 from a shotgun wound of the torso at a private residence. The manner of death is homicide.
Randy Shrier, one of the co-owners of Trashy Lingerie, confirmed to The Times that Robert Shrier is his brother. Randy declined to comment on the case, saying that his family is still waiting for a final determination from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. He was told that no charges were filed and that it was ruled a justified homicide.
The shooting occurred around 1:25 p.m. in the 400 block of North Alfred Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The family dispute began when a 61-year-old man used a baseball bat to damage personal belongings and windows at his mother’s home and physically assaulted her.
The woman called her 57-year-old son, who arrived to find his mother being choked by his older brother, police said. The younger son fired a warning shot with a shotgun, but the choking continued.
The 57-year-old “felt he had no other choice but to shoot his brother to save his mother’s life,” police said. The shooting was deemed a “justifiable homicide, not a criminal homicide,” and the younger son wasn’t arrested. Police declined to release their names.
The mother required sutures for her head injuries, the LAPD said. The agency confirmed that no charges related to the homicide were filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“The shooter saved his mother‘s life,” LAPD Det. Samuel Marullo told KTLA. “He had no choice but to kill his own brother. And being choked at the age of 80 while your face is being smashed into the ground? It would have surely caused her death.”
Trashy Lingerie was founded in 1973 by a local shoe designer, Mitch Shrier, and his wife, Tracy, who are Randy’s parents. Mitch died a few years ago and the boutique is run as a family business.
The violent altercation occurred near the family’s boutique on La Cienega Boulevard.
