As they waited inside their SUV in a parking lot on Elk Avenue, which is to the rear of the building, an unknown gunman approached and fired numerous shots into the car, killing Terunyan as his wife looked on.
Some witnesses said they heard seven shots. Terunyan’s wife, who wasn’t hit by the gunfire, was found screaming for help, her clothes soiled with her husband’s blood, witnesses said.
Hovik Dadasyan, a Terunyan family friend in Armenia, said the victim’s wife is pregnant, and he had no idea why the bank executive would be targeted.
Dadasyan and Terunyan were listed as being top executives for Ararat Bank, which is based in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, according to a Business Week index.
The pair also worked together at the Central Bank of Armenia, Dadasyan said.
“Detectives do not believe that this was a random act; however, they are not ruling out any motive and are cautious not to jump to any conclusion,” Lorenz said.
Immediately after the shootings, the gunman ran south through the parking lot and got inside a blue, American-made car, Lorenz said.
But Humberto Rios, who saw the shooter and followed the car, described the shooter as being black, 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall and wearing a blue-striped T-shirt and blue jeans.
Rios drove after the men, who he said escaped on the Golden State (5) Freeway.
Terunyan’s death is Glendale’s first homicide this year. Last year, three homicides occurred in the city, Lorenz said.
Anyone with details about the shooting, suspects or getaway car is asked to call homicide detectives at (818) 548-3987 or the Crime Stoppers Hotline at (818) 507-STOP to leave an anonymous tip, which may lead to a cash reward.
