On Saturday, December 27, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., a call reporting gunfire brought Los Angeles Police Department officers to a home on the 9600 block of Noble Avenue in the North Hills area. Inside, they discovered 33-year-old civil rights attorney Krikor Kouyoumdjian deceased from multiple gunshot wounds, with the formal pronouncement of death made that afternoon.
The tragedy occurred mere days after a joyful family gathering. Kouyoumdjian had hosted his annual Christmas party on December 20, a tradition where he raffled off handcrafted items from his woodworking shop, including his favorite creations from that year: salt and pepper mills shaped like chess pieces.
According to law enforcement and close friends, the shooting followed a heated argument during the holiday weekend. The suspect was Kouyoumdjian’s younger brother, 30-year-old Alexander (Alex) Kouyoumdjian, with whom he had a long-standing and tumultuous relationship. Alexander was arrested at the scene. While a source indicated the argument was related to an eviction issue, authorities stated the precise motive and details of the fatal dispute remained unclear and under active investigation.
Krikor Kouyoumdjian was a respected attorney dedicated to advocacy. A graduate of UCLA Law, he had clerked in public defender offices and for a Los Angeles Superior Court judge before co-founding Haderlein and Kouyoumdjian LLP, a firm focused on ethical impact litigation such as wage disputes and a notable class action against an airline. Beyond his legal work, his defining passion was coaching a youth debate team at the Center for Early Education, a commitment he maintained for 14 years.
At the time of his death, Kouyoumdjian was living in the home with his fiancée and his elderly father, whom he helped care for. The couple was planning to be married on April 18, 2026. His lifelong friend and law partner, Jonathan Haderlein, described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy,” stating it was “hard to put logic to acts of gun violence between family members” and that Kouyoumdjian was “an absolute victim”.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner officially ruled the manner of death a homicide, caused by multiple gunshot wounds. Alexander Kouyoumdjian was subsequently charged with murder. As the legal process continues, the LAPD’s investigation into the full circumstances remains open.
