Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a suspected murder-suicide at a Bellflower apartment building Tuesday night.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said a 59-year-old man forced his way into his former girlfriend’s apartment on Artesia Boulevard near Downey Avenue at about 11:30 p.m.
Once inside, he shot his former girlfriend’s 29-year-old son in the hip, wounding him, according to the Sheriff’s Department. As the 29-year-old was fleeing the apartment, the gunman “then turned towards the victim’s mother’s room,” according to the Sheriff’s Department. “As the male victim was exiting the apartment, he heard his mother scream and a second gunshot.”
Deputies and medics rushed to the scene. While they were outside the apartment, the deputies heard a single gunshot from inside, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
“The deputies made a tactical entry into the apartment and found a 54-year-old female suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and a 59-year-old male suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” the Sheriff’s Department statement said.
Both died at the scene. Authorities have not publicly identified them but said the gunman and the woman had previously been dating.
“Earlier in the day, the female victim filed a restraining order against the suspect at the Whittier courthouse, protecting her and her adult son,” the Sheriff’s Department said.