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Downey Shooting: Person Of Interest Detained, Victims ID'd
Police are questioning a man who matches the description of a suspect who fatally shot three family members and wounded two others at a business and nearby home in Downey this Wednesday.
Police brought in four people for questioning yesterday and released all of them except one, according to City News Service. The detained man matches the description of the gunman, but he has not yet been arrested, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The identities of the victims in the shooting have also been released. Two people were killed at the business United States Fire Protection, and one was killed at a nearby residence. The deceased victims were Josimar Rojas, 26, and Susana Perez-Ruelas, 34, both of Downey, and Irene Cardenas, 35, of Cudahy. Two others were injured, including a 13-year-old boy who was released from the hospital. It's not clear what the relationship was between the three of them, but police said they were family.
Police have recovered the 2010 Camaro that belonged to one of the family members. The gunman used the car. to go from the business to the residence and then flee the scene.
It's still not clear what the motive for the shooting was. Investigators believe that this family was targeted. None of the witnesses initially recognized the shooter. One city councilman in Downey told the Los Angeles Times that it was a drug-related hit. But some family members of the victims say that the shooting was the result of an attempted robbery of a car advertised on Craigslist.
UPDATE 4:15 pm: The person of interest detained yesterday has been arrested, police confirmed for ABC 7.
Related:
Family Targeted In Downey Shooting That Left 3 Dead
At Least 2 Killed, 2 Injured In Workplace Shooting In Downey