LOS ANGELES, Jan. 27 — Producer-director Laurence Merrick, creator of a documentary film on the Charles Manson family, has been shot to death outside his film studio.

Police said they had no indication that the shooting yesterday was connected with Merrick’s involvement with the 1972 film, “Manson,” which included an interview with three rifle-toting female members of the cult leader’s clan.

Police said the 50-year-old filmmaker stumbled into his office after a single bullet tore into his back.

Richard Romero, a financial con-sultant to Merrick’s school, gave this account:

“We were looking for him to come back, because we were going to ask him a question about something. And all of a sudden we heard a loud pop … and then he came running in and said, ‘My God, I’ve been shot.’

“Then somebody said. ‘No, I think he’s acting.’ And then someone said, ‘No, he has been shot.’

“He came running into the office:

” ‘My God, Richard,’ he says, ‘I’ve been shot. Look at my back.’

“And he lifted up his shirt and sure as shootin’ right in the small of the back there was a bullet hole in there.”

Merrick died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital about one hour after the 12:25 p.m. shooting, police said.

Officers said some of the 200 students at the Laurence Merrick Studios reported seeing a “suspicious acting” man who had been hanging around the Hollywood school all morning, asking some of them about Merrick.

The assailant was described by police as heavyset, about 22 to 28 years old, wearing blue denim overalls and a yellow knit cap. He was about 5-foot-8 with brown hair, and wore gold-rimmed sun-glasses.

Merrick was nominated for an Academy Award for the movie “Manson” in 1972 but had been plagued with legal problems.

Its release was first blocked by a lawsuit filed by a participant in the production. Robert Hendrickson, who said he had not been given proper credit for his work.

Then a judge again stopped the picture from release because he feared it would prejudice the trial on attempted murder charges of Manson family member Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme.

Miss Fromme appeared in the film along with Sandra Good, who was convicted of sending threatening letters to public officials.

“Helter Skelter,” another movie depicting the Manson case, which involved the killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969, was shown on network television last night.