Man found fatally shot in car in La Mesa, suspect at large

A man in his 40s was found fatally shot in the driver's seat of a car early Sunday morning in La Mesa, according to police.

Officers were dispatched around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a call of a gunshot in the area of Waite Drive and Violet Street, where a vehicle was found parked in the 7100 block of Waite Drive with a shattered driver's window, according to the La Mesa Police Department.

"Officers then discovered an unresponsive male with a gunshot wound to the upper torso sitting in the driver's seat of a black sedan," the department reported.

Authorities performed first aid on the victim, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a suspect wearing a dark hoodie fired a shot at the victim before fleeing in a dark-colored, four-door sedan traveling eastbound on Waite Drive.

"The relationship between the suspect and the victim is unknown, but investigators do not believe this was a random act of violence," the department said.

The victim's identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin, and no further information was immediately available.

For several hours following the discovery, Waite Drive was shut down in both directions between Violet Street and Massachusetts Avenue, police said.

Authorities urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to call the police at 619-667-1400 or call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-TIPS.