Authorities Monday publicly identified a woman who was fatally shot last week during a robbery at a Talmadge-area apartment complex.
Patrol officers responding to a report of a shooting at the residential complex in the 4400 block of Euclid Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. July 15 found 38-year-old Senait Legesse suffering from at least one gunshot wound inside one of the rental units, according to the San Diego Police Department. Legesse died at the scene.
Detectives have determined that the killer, a man dressed in dark-colored clothing, entered the apartment, pulled a gun on the victim and a 59-year-old man who lives in the unit, and stole the resident's wallet, SDPD homicide Lt. Jud Campbell said.
The intruder shot the victim when she "intervened" in an attempt to thwart the holdup, the lieutenant said. The shooter then left the apartment and fled the area on foot.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
On Friday evening, officers arrested parolee Robert Earley Madden, 35, on suspicion of murdering Legesse. He was being held without bail at San Diego Central Jail pending arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Police did not disclose what led investigators to identify Madden as the suspected shooter.
"This remains an ongoing investigation," Campbell said Monday. "There are still potential witnesses that have not been interviewed."
Local
This remains an ongoing investigation. There are still potential witnesses that have not been interviewed. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
