The man suspected of shooting a husband and wife to death two blocks away from the San Diego County Courthouse had been ordered to appear inside one of its courtrooms about 30 minutes after the killings.
San Diego police say Christopher Farrell opened fire near the corner of Ash Street and Union Street, killing Rachael Martinez and her husband, Jose Medina.
Court records from a domestic violence restraining order and a civil restraining order reveal that Martinez was having an affair with Farrell that began in August of this year. In her filing, Martinez told the court that her husband, Medina, discovered the affair and confronted Farrell on Sept. 28.
Following that confrontation, Martinez said Farrell began harassing the couple, repeatedly calling and texting their phones. She said he refused to believe she was married and had four children with Medina. She also said Farrell repeatedly threatened to arrest her husband. Farrell worked as an armed security officer.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The victim said the suspect attacked her in the past
On Sept. 30, Martinez said, she went to Farrell’s apartment in an attempt to prove that she was married and to ask him to leave their family alone. When she arrived, she said, he pulled her by the hair, slammed her onto the ground, handcuffed her behind her back and forced her to perform a sex act. She said he again threatened to falsely arrest her husband.
On Oct. 4, she checked herself into a hospital and reported the attack to police. The police report and booking records reveal that San Diego police arrested Farrell later that day at an MTS building. Martinez was immediately given an emergency protective order. He walked out of jail the next day on a $50,000 bond.
Local
Following his arrest, both Martinez and Medina filed restraining orders against Farrell. Both were granted by the court at hearings in October. However, Farrell 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. Martinez 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 OK.
No criminal case had been filed against Farrell
A spokesperson for the San Diego County Court said a criminal case hadn't been filed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. SDPD said a detective with its Domestic Violence Unit had re-interviewed Martinez after Farrell's arrest and then consulted with a prosecutor. Police said there wasn't enough evidence to move forward with a criminal case.
Farrell was a licensed security guard
Licensing records reveal that Farrell was licensed as a security guard in California. He was certified to carry a baton and could open-carry three types of guns. Martinez wrote in her court filings that Farrell was employed by MTS, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
An MTS spokesperson shared this statement concerning his employment:
“This individual (Farrell) 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.”
SDPD said Inter-Con took Farrel's work-issued firearm away from him when it terminated his employment.
NBC 7 Investigates reached out to Inter-Con for comment but hasn’t heard back.
