A tragic incident unfolded in California when a man shot his wife and daughter to death, then targeted his older daughter but missed, before ending his own life.
Responding to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the 5800 block of Lorelai Avenue in Lakewood around 8 a.m. on Thursday.
The emergency call came from a young woman who reported that her father had shot at her and was now lying unconscious.
Upon arrival, deputies were met by 19-year-old Desiree Alfaro, who recounted her harrowing experience. She had been asleep and was startled awake by the sound of gunfire.
Desiree identified her father, 52-year-old Hector Lionel Alfaro, as the shooter. He had approached her with a handgun and fired several shots, which miraculously missed her.
Desiree then witnessed her father take his own life in front of her.
She was left ‘extremely distraught’ as she ran out of the house, Lt Daniel Vizcarra, of the LA County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, said at a news conference.
Roxana Rodriguez, 48, and Sienna Alfaro, 17, were killed Thursday morning
Authorities say Hector Lionel Alfaro, 52, opened fire inside their Lakewood, California home (pictured), killing his wife and daughter before taking his own life
Meanwhile, deputies entered the home, where they found Hector lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his upper torso.
They soon also located 48-year-old Roxana Rodriguez, Alfaro’s wife, in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to her torso, and in another bedroom, they found 17-year-old Sienna Alfaro with a gunshot wound to her upper torso.
They were all pronounced dead at the scene.
It remains unclear what may have driven Hector to commit the grisly murder-suicide, leaving distraught family members with uncomfortable questions.
‘It’s hard to process,’ Jorge Fuentes, Hector’s brother-in-law, told NBC Los Angeles.
‘It’s pain, anger, hard to understand how a person that’s supposed to be a protector and a father to those girls would have done something so hideous.’
As the investigation into the fatal shooting now continues, family and community members have gathered to share their love for the victims.
‘My mom, Roxana, was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,’ Desiree said in a statement to CBS News.
‘To know her was to love her. She was the most incredible woman I know.
Sienna, whose friends called her Lilly, was remembered as ‘a ray of sunshine’
‘I’m at a loss for words on how much she meant to me. She was my entire world, her and my sisters.’
Desiree also expressed her grief for her youngest sister, Sienna, whose friends called her Lilly.
She said they were best friends and that Lilly was ‘so, so loved by her friends, her family, babies, animals – you name it.’
‘She had the sweetest, kindest and most nurturing soul.’
Those who played soccer with Lilly at Beach Futbol Club also described her as ‘a ray of sunshine.’
‘She’s a very jolly person,’ teammate Hazel Ferman said at a candlelight vigil, according to ABC 7.
‘Her smile would brighten up the room. Her energy was just out of this world, like, she would walk in, even though she’s a shy girl, when she would smile is like everybody knew that we just connected.’
A motive for the shooting remains unclear as the investigation continues
An online fundraiser has been set up to support Hector and Roxana’s surviving children who it says are ‘now facing the world without the people who meant everything to them.’
Funds that are donated will be used to help with funeral services, counseling, living expenses and ‘creating some stability during an incredibly painful time.
‘Any donation, no matter the size, and even sharing this page, is a way to show love, support and remind them they are not alone.’
As of Sunday, it had raised nearly $90,000 for the family.
