Nurse shot through West Hollywood apartment wall dies

A shooting at a West Hollywood Apartment complex in April that triggered a dramatic SWAT standoff has turned deadly for a 57-year-old nurse who was shot twice during the incident.  

Larisa Pereshivaylova, who had immigrated to the United States from Russia 22 years ago, had been standing in her kitchen on April 7 when gunfire erupted through the wall of her apartment.

“She was making breakfast at 8 a.m. and she was shot through the wall,” her 21-year-old son, Max Buydakov, told KTLA.  

L.A. County Sheriff’s investigators said 31-year-old Joshua Findley, who lived across the hall from the nurse, opened fire in his apartment. Pereshivaylova was struck twice.  

“She was shot through her liver, through her right kidney and the bullet got lodged in her spine,” her son said.  

A second bullet struck the 57-year-old in the neck. Somehow, Pereshivaylova was able to call 911. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital as a crush of deputies, a SWAT team and a sheriff’s helicopter swarmed the Dylan Apartment Complex in search of Findley, who managed to escape.

Findley, who had two outstanding, was arrested a little less than a week later.  

While she and her son thought she was on the way to recovery, Pereshivaylova was released from the hospital, but was soon readmitted.  

“She was diagnosed with stage four live cancer while she was hospitalized for the shooting,” Buydakov said.  

As her condition worsened, so too did her hopes for receiving treatment.  

“We couldn’t even start any treatment because her condition was not stable from the shooting,” her son explained.  

Buydakov said his mother, who died Sunday night, was compassionate, loving and full of life. The pain of losing her, he added, has been overwhelming.  

“I don’t think there’s any sort of prep course or anything like that could have prepared me for what I have dealt with,” he said.  

Pereshivaylova, according to her son, wanted to be remembered for how she lived, serving her community as a nurse and for the great love she had for her family. Buydakov has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay for his mother’s medical bills and funeral expenses.