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U.S. NEWS Friday 14 September 2018

Gunman kills ex-wife, 4 others and himself in California

By JOHN ANTCZAK and house of 57-year-old Elis-
AMANDA LEE MYERS, Asso- eo Garcia Cazares, who
ciated Press Youngblood identified as a
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A gun- friend. Casarez fatally shot
man in Southern California Garcia and his daughter,
fatally shot his ex-wife and 31-year-old Laura Garcia.
a man at a trucking com- “She may have tried to
pany before chasing after intervene to keep the sus-
another man, killing him, pect from approaching
and then driving to a home her father, and he shot
where he shot dead a fa- and killed both of them,”
ther and daughter during a Youngblood said.
nearly 40-minute rampage, After the shooting at the
authorities said Thursday. Garcia home, Casarez car-
Kern County Sheriff Donny jacked a woman driving
Youngblood identified the with her child. The woman
killer as Javier Casarez dur- and child escaped, and
ing a news conference Casarez drove to a high-
about the shootings that way where a sheriff’s dep-
claimed five victims in Ba- uty saw him, Youngblood A Kern County sheriff’s deputy stands near an area where a shooting victim lies, Wednesday, Sept.
12, 2018, in Bakersfield, Calif.
kersfield, about 90 miles said.As the deputy closed Associated Press
(145 kilometers) north of Los in, yelling at Casarez to ly saddened and offer our witnesses were being in- looking into whether Casa-
Angeles. drop his gun, Casarez fatal- heartfelt condolence and terviewed by deputies, rez’s ex-wife may have had
Casarez, 54, fatally shot ly shot himself in the stom- prayers to those who lost Youngblood said. relationships with Contreras
himself as a deputy closed ach, according to graphic a loved one.” About 30 He said investigators are or Valadez.q
in on him shortly after the body camera footage re-
shooting. leased by police on Face-
Court records show a di- book. The video shows
vorce between Casarez deputies and paramedics
and his wife Petra Maribel working to save Casarez.
Bolanos de Casarez was fi- Deputies look over Casa-
nalized in April. rez’s gun and talk about
Bolanos recently filed for how he would have had
a change involving child to reload it during the ram-
support and custody over page. David Bunting, who
the couple’s two teenage said he’s a friend of Eliseo
children, and the pair had Garcia Cazares and lives
a hearing set for Oct. 11, two doors down from him,
court records show. said he has no idea why his
Youngblood said it appears neighbor would have been
that Casarez targeted ev- targeted.
ery victim, starting with a He said Garcia was a self-
worker at T&T Trucking, and employed truck driver who
that domestic violence ap- always was with his grand-
pears to have played a kids when not working, of-
large part. ten driving them around on
“It appears to be there’s his golf cart.
more than just husband “He’s a really nice guy. I
and wife having a fight be- can’t say enough good
cause other people were things about him,” Bunting
targeted,” he said. “There’s said. “It’s kind of a shock
a reason for that and we because of the kind of a
need to find that reason.” person he was.”
Casarez likely took his ex- He said his daughter Laura
wife to the trucking com- was a mother of four and
pany against her will and that most of the Garcias’
then fatally shot 50-year- large family was home at
old Manuel Contreras with the time of the shooting.
a .50-caliber handgun, He said they’re devastated
authorities said. He shot his and in shock.
ex-wife and then turned He said Eliseo Garcia Ca-
the gun on a second man, zares and his wife had four
50-year-old Antonio Vala- grown children, including a
dez, the sheriff’s depart- daughter who was killed in
ment said. a car accident a few years
Casarez fired at Valadez ago.
as he ran away, but then T&T Trucking, where the
tracked him down in his initial shooting happened,
car and killed him, the sher- said in a statement that the
iff said. company “is in a state of
Casarez then drove to the mourning.” “We are great-