(KTLA) — A quiet cul-de-sac in California’s Simi Valley became the center of a homicide investigation Sunday after a married couple in their 60s was fatally shot outside their home, according to local authorities.
When officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire, they found a man and a woman lying in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds, Sgt. Rick Morton of the Simi Valley Police Department told NewsNation local affiliate KTLA.
Both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and later died.
Detectives determined that the shooter walked up to the couple’s open garage and opened fire, Morton said.
The violence rattled neighbors in an area described as typically calm and family-oriented. “I’ve been living here around 10 years now. It’s the first time I hear about something like this, especially in this neighborhood,” one neighbor told KTLA, asking not to be identified.
The resident added that although they didn’t hear gunfire, they did hear emergency vehicles racing in, noting that some neighbors reported seeing a black sedan driving back and forth around the time of the attack.
Police have not released a motive but said the shooting was not random. Morton stated that investigators believe the suspect knew the victims and are exploring a possible family connection.
One neighbor told KTLA the suspected gunman may have been the couple’s stepson. Morton confirmed that detectives are examining that possibility. “That is one of the leads we’re looking into, but we are still trying to confirm if that is the case,” he said.
There are also emerging reports of a possible connection to a suicide in Chino, roughly 70 miles from the Simi Valley crime scene, where an unidentified body was discovered badly burned inside a vehicle fire. Police told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo that investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are related, but emphasized that the connection has not been confirmed.
Carlos Saucedo contributed to this report.