BELL : Grocer Slain in Robbery Attempt; 2 Teen-Agers Held

A popular Bell grocer was gunned down Friday during an attempted robbery, and two teen-agers were later arrested as suspects.

Young Bu Lee, 55, was hit once in the neck--just above a bulletproof vest he always wore to work--as his assailants fired four rounds into Vanessa’s Market at 4728 Gage Ave.

The store owner was pronounced dead at Santa Marta Hospital after the 12:30 p.m. attack, said Deputy Angie McLaughlin.

Authorities who pulled over a green pickup with a camper shell in the 4900 block of Live Oak Street in Cudahy arrested a 17-year-old boy, said Lt. Joe Brown of the Sheriff’s Department. A second suspect, David Gomez, 19, was arrested at a home in the 4800 block of Elizabeth Street in Cudahy.

Customers and neighbors living near the market were shocked by the violent death of the grocer. As detectives searched the store for evidence, neighbors placed flowers in front of the market. One customer left a balloon that read: “We’ll Miss You!”