The man suspected of shooting a man and woman to death two blocks away from the San Diego County Courthouse had been scheduled to appear inside one of its courtrooms about thirty minutes after the killings.
At this time, NBC 7 is not naming the victims or the suspect. Police say their next of kin have not been notified yet.
Court records from a domestic violence restraining order and a civil restraining order reveal that the female victim was having an affair with the suspect that began in August of this year. In her filing, the wife told the court that her husband discovered the affair and confronted the suspect on Sept. 28.
Following that confrontation, the wife says the suspect began harassing the couple, repeatedly calling and texting their phones. She says he refused to believe she was married and had four children. She says the suspect repeatedly threatened to arrest her husband.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The victim says the suspect attacked her in the past
On Sept. 30, the female victim says she went to the suspect’s apartment in an attempt to prove that she was married and to ask him to leave their family alone. When she arrived, she says he pulled her by the hair, slammed her onto the ground, handcuffed her, and forced her to perform a sex act.
San Diego police arrested the suspected less than a week later on felony charges of false imprisonment, domestic violence, and forced oral copulation. He was released from jail the next day on $50,000 bond. The victim was immediately given an emergency protective order.
Local
Following his arrest, the male and female shooting victims filed restraining orders. Both were granted by the court at hearings in October. However, the suspect wasn’t present for either hearing. Other court documents show he was never officially served notice about the hearings.
But it appears that he was very aware of the hearing scheduled Wednesday morning. The female victim was set to ask a judge to extend her restraining order. They never made it inside the courthouse for the 9 a.m. hearing. Police say both were shot to death exiting their car at 8:22 a.m.
About 45 minutes later, a Harbor Police Officer confronted a man matching the suspect’s description near the corner of Kettner Boulevard and Juniper Street. That quickly turned into a shootout. The suspect was killed and an officer was shot in the hip. He’s expected to be okay.
Criminal case had not been filed
A spokesperson for the San Diego County Court says a criminal case hadn't been filed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. We reached out to the DA's office to ask why it hadn't pressed charges. We are waiting to hear back.
The suspect was a licensed security guard
Licensing records reveal the suspect was licensed as a security guard in California. He was certified to carry a baton and could open-carry three types of guns. The female victim wrote in her court filings that he was employed by MTS, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
An MTS spokesperson shared this statement concerning his employment:
“This individual was not employed by MTS at any time. The individual was previously assigned to MTS’s security contract by his employer, Inter-Con. Inter-Con removed the employee from this role more than a month ago. MTS cannot comment further on employment status for personnel of any outside contractor or the agency.”
NBC 7 Investigates reached out to Inter-Con for comment but hasn’t heard back.
