Couple found shot to death in their Mount Helix home; no suspects sought Man arrested in Las Vegas in E. County shooting of teen
MOUNT HELIX
Sheriff ’s deputies on Monday found a couple shot to death inside their Mount Helix home, but investigators do not believe there are any suspects at large, a homicide lieutenant said.
A family member who had not heard from the couple for several days asked deputies to check on the pair Monday in their home on Resmar Road off Grandview Drive, according to Lt. Thomas Seiver.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., deputies went into the home and found the couple, who had both been shot, Seiver said. Both died at the scene.
The names and ages of the individuals who were found dead were not released, but Seiver described them as “elderly.” Detectives from the sheriff ’s homicide unit are investigating their deaths.
“The investigation is (ongoing), but no suspects are believed to be outstanding,” the lieutenant said in a news release.
alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Bicyclist killed in crash on state Route 76 in Bonsall
BONSALL
A bicyclist died Tuesday in a crash with a vehicle on state Route 76 in Bonsall, authorities said.
The crash occurred on the eastbound side of the highway near North River Road about 10:15 a.m. The bicyclist died at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol and North County Fire Protection District.
No further information was immediately available.
david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Public’s help sought to find San Marcos arson suspect
SAN MARCOS
Sheriff ’s investigators have reached out to the public to help identify and locate a man suspected of starting a vegetation fire near a San Marcos place of worship last week.
The blaze happened shortly before 11:55 a.m. Thursday near a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on La Moree Road, south of state Route 78, according to the county Sheriff ’s Department.
The fire burned roughly 100 square feet of vegetation near the structure, but firefighters extinguished the flames before any buildings were damaged, officials said.
Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set and nearby surveillance cameras captured video and images of the suspect, described as a White man riding a mountain bike and carrying a brown backpack.
The man was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and black shorts. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
Anyone with information on the identity or location of the suspect is asked to call the sheriff ’s bomb/ arson unit at (619) 550-8158 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Bicyclist struck, killed by vehicle in Santee
SANTEE
A bicyclist died Monday afternoon after a collision with a vehicle in Santee, and the crash shut down a portion of Mission Gorge Road near state Route 125, authorities said.
The vehicle struck the cyclist about 3:45 p.m. at Mission Gorge Road and Fanita Drive, just east of SR-125, according to sheriff ’s Lt. Pat McEvoy and Deputy Heather Arthur.
The victim, described only as a man, sustained grave head trauma, McEvoy said. Medics rushed him to a hospital, where he died.
In a tweet, the Sheriff ’s Department said the driver stopped at the scene and was cooperating with investigators. Arthur said in a news release that alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash.
alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Pedestrian seriously injured by hit-and-run driver
SAN DIEGO
San Diego police are looking for a hit-and-run driver after a vehicle — possibly a truck and a trailer — hit a man walking downtown on Tuesday, leaving him with serious head injuries.
The crash was reported shortly after 9:05 a.m. at the intersection of B Street and 11th Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found the man bleeding and unconscious, said police spokesman Scott Lockwood. Medics took the man to a hospital to be treated for a head injury.
Lockwood said police are checking the area for vehicles that may have been involved in the crash and are seeing if any surveillance video captured the incident. Witnesses provided different descriptions of the vehicle, he said.
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
LAS VEGAS
An 18-year-old man, arrested last week at a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, is accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy outside a cannabis dispensary near El Cajon earlier this month.
A U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force based in Las Vegas arrested Richard Anthony Bell, of El Cajon, about 11 p.m. Friday on a warrant issued in San Diego County three days earlier in connection with the Dec. 4 shooting, sheriff ’s Sgt. Jacob Klepach said.
Bell was being held in lieu of $2 million bail. He was expected to be extradited to San Diego County, Klepach said.
The shooting, which officials said appears to be gang-related, occurred about noon outside of an unlicensed dispensary on North Second Street between Greenfield and Pepper drives — about a block outside of El Cajon.
The victim’s friends dropped him off at a nearby gas station, where police were called, Lt. Pat McEvoy said at the time. Klepach said the victim remained hospitalized Sunday and was expected to survive.
McEvoy said the shooter f led in a white BMW. Klepach did not say what led investigators to Bell.
david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Man pleads guilty in fatal hit-and-run crash
SAN DIEGO
A motorist who fatally struck a pedestrian in San Diego and drove off without stopping pleaded guilty Tuesday to vehicular manslaughter.
Christopher Nunez, 29, faces up to six years in state prison for the Jan. 19 hit-and-run death of 41-yearold Jason Gordon, who was struck about 2 a.m. on Market Street.
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Paugh said Gordon was crossing the street when he was struck by an SUV and dragged more than 100 feet.
Gordon, a married father of two daughters, died at the scene.
After the crash, Nunez stopped for food at a taco shop less than a mile from the site of the crash, police said. While in the restaurant’s parking lot, police said, he also crashed into an occupied vehicle.
An image of Nunez was captured on surveillance footage at the eatery and circulated to the public. He was arrested three days later at an Oak Park home, where police also located the SUV that was involved in the hit-and-run crash.
Nunez remains out of custody pending his sentencing on May 3.