A California woman shot her mayor husband dead Tuesday in a desperate bid to stop him from beating their teenage son, police said.
Levette Crespo killed Daniel Crespo Sr., the mayor of Bell Gardens, Calif., Tuesday during a family fight in their Southern California home, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The couple started arguing in their bedroom — but things turned physical when their 19-year-old son, Daniel Crespo Jr., tried to intervene, police told the Los Angeles Times.
As Daniel Crespo Sr. punched the teen, Levette Crespo pulled out a gun and shot her husband several times in the torso, police said. He died on his way to the hospital, and his son was treated for facial wounds, police said.
Police detained Levette Crespo for questioning but released her shortly afterward.
“The facts of the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office who will determine if criminal charges will be filed,” sheriff’s officials said.
Crespo’s brother William said he spoke to the mayor just before the shooting. The 45-year-old told him he had been fighting with his wife about finances, he told KTLA.
“I couldn’t believe it — I still can’t believe it. I have a sick mom and now my brother is gone,” William Crespo told NBC Los Angeles. “He loved (his family) more than life. He loved his wife a lot, he always loved his wife.”
Crespo and his wife were high school sweethearts who married in 1986. They met in New York, according to a biography on the city’s website.
A native of Brooklyn, Crespo moved to Los Angeles in 1987, where he became a deputy probation officer for Los Angeles County.
He was elected to the Bell Gardens City Council in 2001.
The city’s website Tuesday night had an image of a black bow and a statement from Mayor Pro Tem Priscilla Flores and three councilmembers that said the shooting doesn’t appear to be related to Crespo’s mayoral activities.
“Our thoughts and prayers should be with Mayor Crespo’s family at this tragic time,” the statement said.
With News Wire Services
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