Lakewood Family Shooting Leaves Three Dead, 19-Year-Old Daughter Survives
LAKEWOOD, Calif. — A California father is alleged to have fatally shot his wife and their 17-year-old daughter before taking his own life, leaving his 19-year-old daughter as the sole surviving family member in what authorities described as a murder-suicide.
According to Los Angeles County investigators, 52-year-old Hector Lionel Alfaro opened fire inside the family home on the 5800 block of Lorelei Avenue in Lakewood shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said Alfaro, armed with a handgun, shot his 48-year-old wife and his 17-year-old daughter in the upper torso. Both were found in separate bedrooms with fatal gunshot wounds.
Officials said the sole surviving family member, a 19-year-old daughter, was asleep when the gunfire began. Investigators said Alfaro entered her room and fired several shots but missed, allowing her to escape unharmed.
Deputies later entered the home and found Alfaro in the family den suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He, along with his wife and younger daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities recovered two firearms from the residence. The 19-year-old daughter was initially detained for questioning as a possible suspect but was later released after investigators determined she was not involved.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Daniel Vizcarra said the surviving daughter was “extremely distraught” after fleeing the home following the shooting. He added there was no ongoing threat to the community and declined to comment on what may have led to the incident.
Family members also spoke about the tragedy. The victims’ uncle, Jorge Fuentes, told NBC Los Angeles that the family is struggling to process the loss.
“Luckily, she was a survivor of this tragedy. Just trying to deal with the consequences of their father’s doing,” Fuentes said. “It’s hard to process. Pain. Anger. How a person is supposed to be a protector and a father to those girls would have done something so hideous.”
The names of Alfaro’s wife and daughters have not been released by authorities.
A GoFundMe has been created by Andrew Aguilera, the husband of one of the sisters and brother-in-law of the surviving 19-year-old. In part, the fundraiser states that the family is mourning the loss of a loving mother and daughter and seeking support as the surviving children face life after the tragedy.
