Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, a 61-year-old esteemed drug and alcohol addiction specialist, was shot and killed in a planned attack on August 23, 2024. The incident happened around 5:30 p.m., outside his clinic in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, approximately an hour after the clinic had closed for the day.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the shooter had been lurking in the parking area of the Warner Plaza Urgent Center on Topanga Canyon Blvd for about an hour before Dr. Mirshojae exited the building and headed to his Lexus. The assailant fired at close range before fleeing the scene. The police have found bullet casings at the site but are yet to identify the assailant or disclose a potential motive.
Dr. Mirshojae had over two decades of experience in primary and emergency medical care and was recognized for his empathetic approach. His patients spanned celebrities, athletes, and various other backgrounds. In addition to primary care, Dr. Mirshojae was qualified to practice addiction medicine and had over a decade of experience in addiction recovery.
This is not the first time Dr. Mirshojae had been a victim of violence. Several months before the fatal shooting, he was assaulted by three unknown individuals wielding baseball bats outside his clinic, resulting in serious injuries and concern for his safety. The connection between these two incidents, if any, has not been confirmed by the police.
A former patient, Khedhar Quintero, stated that Dr. Mirshojae showed deep concern for all his patients and cared about their future beyond their treatment at his clinic. Quintero suggested that Dr. Mirshojae’s work might have inadvertently upset someone, leading to his murder.
Long-time patient Gloria Sera said that Dr. Mirshojae had been her doctor for 15 years and always made her feel reassured. She also revealed that Dr. Mirshojae, originally from Iran, had recently re-married.
At the time of the shooting, Dr. Mirshojae’s new wife and their six-month-old daughter were visiting family in Turkey. Dr. Mirshojae leaves behind his wife, their young daughter, and three adult children from a previous marriage. Following the attack, security measures at the clinic have been increased, including hiring a security guard.
The Daily Mail reports that Dr. Mirshojae had been involved in a protracted legal battle with his ex-wife, Ahang Kelk, 54, spanning nearly two decades, which included his claims that she had threatened his life.
The legal dispute started in 2009 after their divorce and grew to involve two fraud claims, a civil harassment case, four applications for restraining orders, and numerous reopenings of their divorce case, with the most recent one taking place in January.
Both Kelk and Mirshojae had obtained restraining orders against each other. A 2017 restraining order forced Mirshojae to vacate their $6 million six-bedroom Calabasas home, where Kelk still resides. In May, Mirshojae sued Kelk for fraud, accusing her of transferring assets to her family to prevent him from accessing settlement funds from previous cases.
The pair was due back in court on August 23, the day of the murder, for a hearing related to the fraud allegations. These revolved around her alleged failure to pay the $270,000 settlement he received from a 2021 case in which he once more accused her of fraud and running an unlawful marijuana dispensary. He had also filed a request for an additional $600,000 in attorney fees, which remains unresolved, and claimed she violated a 2017 settlement agreement.
In 2016, Mirshojae dismissed Kelk from her position in his medical practice, marking a significant deterioration in their relationship. Following her termination for alleged misappropriation of over $600,000 from the surgical practice, Kelk reportedly threatened to harm his business. A judge ruled in favor of Mirshojae, but the current case pertained to Kelk’s alleged failure to meet her financial obligations.
Their divorce proceedings had been repeatedly reopened by Kelk, leading Judge Steve Cochran to express his exasperation by stating “the cost of this litigation became unreasonable long ago” in February. During the session, Kelk sought financial aid for their 21-year-old son Jason, arguing that he is unemployed.
Kelk appeared to be deeply saddened by the news of Mirshojae’s death, despite their turbulent past.
The LAPD continues to investigate Dr. Mirshojae’s murder and encourages anyone with pertinent information to reach out to the LAPD’s Topanga station or Crime Stoppers.
