A 24-year-old man suspected in the fatal shooting in Pasadena of "Deadliest Catch" associate producer Joe McMahon has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reports.
Joseph McMahon, 24, was found in the 3600 block of Yorkshire Road near Rosemead Boulevard overnight with gunshot wounds, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and LA County Coroner. He died in the street in front of the home.
Early Saturday morning, homicide detectives identified the murder suspect as Brandon Rafiepour, a 24-year-old Armenian man from Los Angeles. Details about the suspect were not immediately available, but investigators told NBC4 the two men knew each other.
A woman at the scene who said she was McMahon's sister told the Pasadena Star that he worked on Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch." An IMDB page for Joe McMahon listed him as an associate producer for nine episodes of the show in 2013.
Original Productions, which produces "Deadliest Catch," released a statement after McMahon's death.
"The entire Original Productions Family is heartbroken with this news. Our thoughts and prayers are for the McMahon Family," said Philip D. Segal, CEO of Original Productions.
A friend said those who knew McMahon were stunned by the shooting.
"He's a hard worker, been taking care of his family," said friend Jonathan Merhaut. "As far as I know he has no ties to anything malicious. This is just a shock to everyone."
No one at the home would speak on camera to NBC4, but a neighbor said her husband heard the gunfire.
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"My husband said he heard shots last night about 2:15 and I didn't believe him. He said he waited for sirens and didn't hear anything," neighbor Joey Mueller said. "I'm walking the dog this morning and I couldn't get through, so I asked somebody, and they said it was a homicide."
Authorities were still searching for the shooter as of Friday afternoon. A small compact car was seen speeding away from the scene.
Adrian Arambulo and Corey Arvin contributed to this report.
