Pizza Deliveryman Cleared in Fatal Shooting

The district attorney’s office said Thursday that a pizza deliveryman who fatally shot a would-be robber Sunday in South-Central Los Angeles acted justifiably.

Police said Timothy Hamill, 31, of Manhattan Beach was returning to his car after delivering three pizzas to an apartment complex on Vermont Avenue when he was confronted by the would-be robber, whom police identified as Vincent James Oliver, 34, of Los Angeles.

Detectives say Oliver “aggressively confronted” Hamill, stabbing him in the chest and hand. Believing that he was seriously wounded, Hamill fired several shots at Oliver with a semiautomatic pistol for which he had a concealed weapon permit, officials said.

Oliver was shot once in the back and died later from his injuries at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. Officials say Oliver had a criminal record that included robberies and was on parole for grand theft property.

Police questioned Hamill on Sunday but did not arrest him.

“We reviewed the evidence today and determined the shooting was a justifiable homicide and he will not be charged,” said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.