The death of three people inside a Lakewood home has been ruled a murder-suicide.
The backstory:
On January 15, around 8 a.m., deputies responded to the 5800 block of Lorelei Avenue regarding an assault with a deadly weapon call. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the caller reported that her dad had shot at her, and he was lying near her on the floor unconscious.
When deputies arrived at the house, they contacted the 19-year-old daughter outside the house. She was unharmed and taken to the Lakewood station.
As deputies entered the house, they located a man lying on the floor in the den suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper torso. That man was identified as the shooter and father, 52-year-old Hector Lionel Alfaro.
Deputies then located his 48-year-old wife in a bedroom suffering from gunshot wounds to her torso. In a second bedroom, deputies found their 17-year-old daughter, who was also shot. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
What they’re saying:
“Through investigation, Homicide Investigators learned gunshots were heard within the residence by Alfaro’s 19-year-old daughter while she was asleep. Alfaro then appeared near her armed with a handgun and shot at her several times; however, she was not struck by the gunfire. Alfaro then shot himself while standing near his 19-year-old daughter,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Two firearms were recovered at the scene.
What we don’t know:
A motive for the shooting is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
