VISTA (CNS) - A 52-year-old Vista resident was fatally shot at her home Monday along with her brother and ex-boyfriend in an apparent double murder- suicide carried out by the latter man, authorities said.
A friend of the slain woman made a 911 call shortly after 5:30 a.m. to report finding the three bodies in the house in the 1400 block of Phil Mar Lane, according to sheriff's officials. The names of the deceased were withheld pending family notification.
About seven hours earlier, deputies had gone to the same residence to investigate a disturbance, Lt. Greg Rylaarsdam said.
Though the person who had reported the altercation was there along with several other people, they all were uncooperative and refused to provide any information about the episode, Rylaarsdam said.
At about the same time, deputies detained a 52-year-old man driving away from the neighborhood. He told them he had just left the Phil Mar Lane home after being involved in a fight with his ex-girlfriend's brother.
Deputies decided that the man, who had visible minor injuries, was the victim of an assault. They also determined that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol and arrested him.
At the sheriff's Vista Station, medics evaluated the man. He declined medical treatment, and after being processed on a DUI charge was released on his own recognizance at about 1 a.m., Rylaarsdam said.
Preliminary evidence indicates that the man subsequently returned to his ex-girlfriend's home and shot her and her 53-year-old brother before killing himself, according to the lieutenant.
"The investigation is ongoing, and further details will be released as they become available," Rylaarsdam said. CNS-03-13-2017 19:08