WOODLAND HILLS —On Monday, May 10, a man who kidnapped and shot a woman in Long Beach was killed in a confrontation with Woodland Hills police.
The man involved in the shooting was identified as 34-year-old Donovan Morris. He was being sought by police after kidnapping his wife from her Long Beach condo, and then shooting her in a nearby parking structure.
His wife was identified as 29-year-old Ivy Grace Bodkins, who was employed as a consultant by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She oversaw services and curriculum development for school districts throughout the county. “She was taken there by force,” said Lisa Massacani, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department, who also said it was a domestic dispute. The couple was reportedly in the process of divorce proceedings. The couple’s 2-year-old son was found in the apartment with a family member.
After Morris killed his wife, he fled to Canoga Park where he was shot. The confrontation occurred outside of a Best Buy store at about 11 a.m. Los Angeles police say Morris drove about 35 miles to his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills, but fled again when the relative called police. Police say officers spotted the man identified as Morris; he got out and reportedly held a gun to his head. Morris was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesmen say that LAPD officers did fire during the officer-involved shooting that wounded the suspect at Victory and Owensmouth in Woodland Hills, although they could not say whether or not the suspect’s injuries were due to his own gun or those of the officers.
