A Sydney personal trainer has been shot dead at a marijuana store in Los Angeles.
Azuma Bennett, 30, was found dead in the doorway of the legal dispensary in Windsor Hills on Friday morning local time.
The former Waverley College student had moved to the US several years ago and was only a few weeks away from returning back to Australia.
A fundraiser is now being held to repatriate his body back to Australia.
Friend Tamara Fortune described Bennett as “one of a kind”.
“We lost one of the best ones out there. He did not deserve this,” she said.
“He was kind to all that he met and always engaged everyone in the gym with his positive energy and engaging personality.
“Rest Easy Azuma and keep punching up there. We love you mate.”
His death is being investigated as a homicide by Los Angeles police.
There is not a suspect in custody, and nobody else was on the scene when police arrived.
Windsor Hills is an unincorporated neighbourhood in the middle of Los Angeles itself.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.
