On December 12, 2023, at about 11:04 p.m. deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shots fired call in the 600 block of West Corregidor Street in Compton. They found 46-year-old Blaine LaPrairie suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. Paramedics transported LaPrairie to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on December 13.

LaPrairie, a Compton resident, worked as a repossession agent for Nation’s Recovery Services, Inc., of South El Monte. He had more than two decades of experience and was repossessing a vehicle at the Jasmine Garden Apartment complex when he was struck by a single gunshot to the chest despite wearing a protective vest. His brother and colleague, Ryan LaPrairie, said the family is devastated. The suspect remains unidentified and no arrests have been announced; investigators are reviewing footage from LaPrairie’s body camera and his tow truck’s cameras.

Colleagues have started a GoFundMe to help the family with funeral and financial needs. LaPrairie’s death was the sixth murder of a repossession agent in 2023, a year described as the deadliest in the industry’s history. If anyone has information about the shooting, contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.