Inset: Zackary Brodowski (Redlands Police Department). Background: The apartment complex where Brodowski allegedly killed his half-brother in Redlands, Calif. (Google Maps).
A tragic incident in California has resulted in a man facing serious charges after allegedly shooting his half-brother and attempting to harm his brother’s children using cooking gas. The accused, Zackary Brodowski, aged 32, has been charged with both murder and attempted murder, according to authorities from the Redlands Police Department.
The grim events unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday at an apartment complex on Kansas Street, situated in Redlands. This city is nestled in California’s Inland Empire, approximately 60 miles east of Los Angeles. That morning, a distressing call about gunfire at the Rivera Apartments prompted a swift response from the police.
Upon arrival, officers discovered 36-year-old Aaron Richard Rivera, who had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, as noted in a press release issued by the Redlands Police on Christmas Eve. The tragedy of Rivera’s death was compounded by an additional threat inside the apartment.
This shocking incident has left a community in mourning and highlights the ongoing issues of domestic violence and gun crime. The investigation continues as Brodowski remains in police custody, awaiting further legal proceedings.
There, responding officers found 36-year-old Aaron Richard Rivera dead from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
But the slain man was not the only problem inside the unit.
The gas burners on the kitchen stove had been left on by the defendant, police allege. Meanwhile, the victim’s two children were alone and asleep inside the residence, according to law enforcement.
“Family members and evidence located at the scene indicated the suspect was the victim’s half-brother,” the police department said in the press release identifying Brodowski as the culprit.
Investigators later assessed surveillance camera footage from the apartment complex which showed the defendant immediately fleeing the scene after the shooting occurred, police said. Those video clips also allegedly showed Brodowski leaving the area in a silver 2008 Ford Focus, police added.
As the investigation went on, authorities located the defendant later that same day, according to the police department.
“Detectives were able to locate the suspect and the vehicle at his residence in the 900 block of California Street in Calimesa,” the press release continues. “Detectives and members of the Special Weapons and Tactics team set up surveillance on the residence.”
Eventually, the defendant was arrested without incident, authorities say.
Later, when executing a search warrant at Brodowski’s residence, investigators recovered what they termed “a firearm believed to be the murder weapon and clothing matching the clothing worn at the time of the shooting,” the press release says.
The defendant is currently being detained without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
