It was a scene befitting a Hollywood true crime drama: A prominent Beverly Hills publicist was gunned down in her Mercedes-Benz after attending a movie premiere, sending the luxury car careening into a light post near Sunset Boulevard.
The police said Ronni Chasen was shot in the chest several times and killed early on Tuesday in an attack that stunned Hollywood, where she was a revered figure after promoting the Oscar-winning film Driving Miss Daisy and other major movies and stars over the years.
The police had no motive or suspects and said no threats had been reported against the 64-year-old Chasen. The mystery deepened later in the day when police seized computers from her firm, Chasen and Co.
Fellow publicist Howard Bragman called the killing bizarre. “She wasn’t a shady character,” he said. “It’s a small community and she was one of the fixtures in it.” Witnesses said they heard gunshots in the serene Beverly Hills neighbourhood and called the police emergency dispatcher before going outside to help.
“I heard the ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’ of gunshots, ran up to the window, and there was the back of the car,” Nahid Schekarchian, who lives in an apartment above the crash site, said.
She said her daughter-in-law called the police and her son and a neighbour ran down to the car and found Chasen, who was struggling to breathe and bleeding from her nose and chest.
The front passenger’s window was shattered.
The killing took place after Chasen attended the premiere of the movie Burlesque, which the trade publication Variety said she was promoting for Screen Gems to position the soundtrack for an Oscar nomination.
Chasen “was at our premiere last night and so full of her trademark energy and love of life,” said Amy Pascal, co-chair of Screen Gems owner Sony Pictures.
“We are heartbroken, shocked and completely devastated,” she added.
Chasen was struck down in the midst of her busiest time of year — Hollywood’s award season, when the movie studios mount expensive campaigns to promote their better films for awards consideration using spin-specialists like Chasen.
—AP