Police investigating the murder last Sunday morning of an MTV music executive outside his residence south of the Miracle Mile are looking into whether the murder is linked to a string of robberies that have occurred throughout the Mid-City, Wilshire, Koreatown and South Los Angeles areas over the past two weeks.

Flowers and candles were placed near the site where the body of Gabriel Ben-Meir was found last Sunday. (photo by Jose Martinez)

Thirty-year-old Gabriel Ben-Meir’s body was found by a resident who was walking his dog around 6:10 a.m. on May 8 in the 5600 block of Packard Street. Ben-Meir’s body was lying face down near the sidewalk, and investigators believe he was shot while on his way home between midnight and 1 a.m. Some neighbors reported hearing a shot around 1 a.m., but did not report it to police. Homicide detectives with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division are investigating the case, and the motive is believed to be robbery. Officials would not confirm whether anything was stolen from Ben-Meir.

“The investigation is ongoing and we are still looking at a lot of different possibilities,” said Det. Mark Holguin, with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division. “It appears he just had parked and was going home.”

Investigators said the shooting may be linked to eight street and business robberies that have occurred, including three robberies that were committed on Tuesday night. Police arrested two suspects on Wednesday for the robberies, but have not yet linked them to the murder of Ben-Meir.

The suspect arrested for the robberies were not identified.

Ben-Meir was reportedly shot with a shotgun, but Holguin would not confirm it. He had lived for several months in an apartment in the neighborhood just south of San Vicente Boulevard between Spaulding and Stanley Avenues, just a few feet from where he was killed. Flowers and candles were placed outside his residence on Monday and Tuesday. Holguin added that the shooting was very unusual for the area.

“It’s just a quiet residential neighborhood, right off a major street,” Holguin added. “There are no businesses around. A crime like this there is unusual.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division at (213)473-0446.

During weekends and off-hours, call the LAPD’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at  (877)LAPD247.