Palisades Highlands Shooting Victim Released from Hospital

A woman shot three times July 23 in the Palisades Highlands by a man at whose home she worked has been released from the hospital and is still recuperating, according to Los Angeles police.

The shooter, Zvi Howard Strolicht of 1476 Paseo de Oro, who was later identified by the L.A. County Coroner's Office, shot his caregiver three times with a .45-caliber semi-automatic weapon before committing suicide in front of his home.

He was known to be dealing with medical problems leading up to the incident, according to police and neighbors.

The woman, who police will not yet identify as she is still being interviewed, along with other Highlands residents since the incident, is a city resident who was employed by Strolicht for at least the past year, according to LAPD Det. Armando Acero.

Police are still conducting trajectory investigations from the bullets fired and estimate Strolicht fired around four to five rounds, but there could have been ricochet involved during the impacts. Acero said police do not yet know if the caregiver, who was shot in her legs and torso, was hit three times or if the shots were from one bullet due to ricochet.

"I'm not sure if we will ever really know why he did this," Acero said. "We know he was having medical problems for a few months. He was having a hard time, really dealing with the problems he was undergoing. The lady was there to help him. We're not sure why he took his anger out on her, because it makes no sense. She was there to assist him. She knew him for quite some time."

Acero added the caregiver is "in pretty good spirits," considering everything that's happened as she continues recuperating.

A neighbor living one street above Paseo deo Oro immediately sprang to action and dialed 911 when the shooting happened early on July 23, Acero said. The neighbor's view of the scene was obscured from seeing Strolicht, but he could see the caregiver being shot, Acero said.

"So he grabbed some towels and ran all the way around," Acero said. "That was the day the gate was open. He ran down to the location and rendered aid to her. He kept her calm and continued speaking to her."

Highlands resident Paul Glasgall, who is the area representative on the Pacific Palisades Community Council, told Patch he knew Strolicht as an acquaintance who had lived in the neighborhood for about 17 years. Strolicht was a native of Israel and worked for an aerospace company.

"He was very into guns," Glasgall said. "He was a competitive shooter."

Glasgall said he had not communicated with Strolicht via email since 2011, but Strolicht could always be seen walking the neighborhood until the time when he had a stroke.

"It's unfortunate," Glasgall said.

Glasgall could not remember an attempted murder-suicide or remotely similar major crime in the Highlands since 1979, when there was an incident at the Wells Fargo. The neighborhood is known to be home to Hollywood's elite.

Glasgall also credited local security firm ADT for its swift response.

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