Woman killed in East County shooting; suspect found dead
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A woman was killed in a shooting at an East County home Tuesday morning, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed. Authorities later found the suspect dead in Orange County.
Around 10:20 a.m., authorities received a report of someone trying to break into the residence at a residence in the 800 block of La Presa Avenue in Spring Valley, according to a spokesperson for the department.
When deputies arrived, they said no one answered the front door, so they made their way around the backyard, where they could see someone lying on the couch unresponsive, according to law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office said deputies eventually forced their way into the front of the home, where they saw the victim with trauma to their body.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of “severe injuries,” the spokesperson said. She was later pronounced dead by medical personnel.
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The sheriff’s office mentioned to media about a nine-year-old boy who lives at the house and was reported missing at the time of the shooting. Deputies said the boy has since been found safe.
Authorities say the boy was not home at the time of the shooting and his relationship to the victim or shooter is unclear.
One neighbor told FOX 5/KUSI she heard a scream from possibly a women in the morning, but before she could call 911 she saw sirens arriving shortly after.
Another neighbor, Michelle Mendoza, told FOX 5/KUSI she has lived in the area for eight years with her kids. Mendoza said she was taking her kids to school at the time of the shooting and said this is not the first time police activity has occurred. Mendoza said they often see police helicopters searching for people in the area.
“You live down the street and this happens, someone get killed and there is cops all the time and helicopters and just don’t feel safe anymore…so I was kind of really thinking of moving,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said in a neighborhood filled with families, “it’s frightening, you think it’s a safe neighborhood and these things happened, it’s scary…it’s sad, to hear something like this in your neighborhood.”
It’s still unclear what led up to the shooting. The sheriff’s office said there is no threat to the community.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330/after hours at 858-565-5200. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
FOX 5/KUSI’s Alani Letang contributed to this story.
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