Shooting at iconic Sunset Strip comedy club leaves one dead

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - The iconic Sunset Strip comedy club where many have shared laughs, turned into a murder scene early Wednesday morning.

Detectives say a man wearing a hoodie shot another man in the chest around 1 a.m. in the patio area of The Comedy Store in West Hollywood.

Detectives say the suspect ran off. They still don't know if he knew the guy he shot. That man was taken to the hospital where he died.

"It was a normal Tuesday night then all of a sudden we heard ...what sounded like firecrackers," said Justin Martindale, one of the judges of the Roast Battle at The Comedy Store.

Veteran comedian Ron White was supposed to perform at the club but cancelled at the last minute. He pulled up to the venue when he heard the news.

It was just so disturbing to me that this amazing room could have an attack like that. It's insane to think about," said White.

Detectives are still combing through surveillance video to identify the shooter. The Comedy Store tweeted they would be closed Wednesday night.

The victim's name hasn't been released, but deputies did say he was not from the L.A. area.