Inset, from left: Brittney Harris after graduating from Merced College’s nurse assistant program (KFSN), and David Moreno (Madera County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Denny’s where authorities say Moreno fatally shot Harris (KFSN).
A 51-year-old California man is facing accusations that he killed his estranged wife, allegedly opening fire on her outside a Denny’s after the pair had eaten at the restaurant, then leaving the area in a white Toyota RAV4.
David Moreno was arrested over the weekend in connection with the death of 38-year-old Brittney Harris, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called around 11:30 a.m. to the area of Avenue 18½ and Golden State Boulevard after multiple people reported that a woman had been shot.
When first responders arrived, they found Harris inside a vehicle in the parking lot of the Denny’s. She had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Deputies immediately started lifesaving efforts, which were later continued by emergency medical crews. Harris was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“[Investigators] did determine that this was a domestic violence-related situation in which the couple were eating in a local restaurant nearby here,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. “They exited the restaurant, and then the man shot the woman multiple times before he fled the area.”
Harris’ family identified her to Fresno ABC affiliate KFSN as Brittney Harris. Harris — reportedly her maiden name — had recently completed Merced College’s nurse assistant program.
A bystander reportedly filmed Moreno’s vehicle as it left the area and provided the footage to investigators.
Detectives checking on a possible address spotted Moreno in the same RAV4 leaving the area. Deputies, coordinating with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a traffic stop and took Moreno into custody about four hours after the shooting. The arrest took place near Highway 41 and Manning Avenue, about 36 miles from the Denny’s.
Moreno had not been formally charged in Harris’ death as of Monday afternoon, records show.
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