MURDERS SHATTER SUBURBIA- AGAIN KILLER INVADES SIMI HOME; THREE DEAD, TWO WOUNDED.SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - A gunman shattered the serenity of America's safest city Wednesday afternoon, killing a grandmother and two children as he rampaged through their Simi Valley house shooting at everyone in sight. Two teen-agers were wounded, one critically, and a third was injured when he jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flurry of bullets from a handgun. All the victims were members of the Calderon family who lived in a cul-de-sac in the 2800 block of Yurok Court. Late Wednesday, police identified the suspect as Reynaldo Herrera Rodriguez, 35, of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . He was described as about 5 feet 5 inches tall, 130 pounds in weight and believed to be driving a late model dark blue sport utility vehicle. A neighborhood in Thousand Oaks was cordoned off about 10 p.m. and police surrounded a home but it was not clear if the suspect was inside. Those who died were identified as Chantel Rios, 5; Ricardo Calderon, 12, and a grandmother, Esperanza Calderon. Police identified those injured as Rafael Calderon Jr., 18; Rigo Calderon, 16; and Lucia Vargas, 19. The shooting occurred just five days after Stevenson Ranch Stevenson Ranch, California (in the 91381 ZIP Code) is a Los Angeles County, USA, unincorporated community west of Santa Clarita a few miles south of Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. The Stevenson Ranch fountain was redone in 2007. in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. - another suburban enclave that boasts of being one of the America's safest communities - was terrorized. A resident, being served with a search warrant, fired off dozens of bullets and killed sheriff's Deputy Hagop ``Jake'' Kuredjian before dying as his home was engulfed in flames In Flames is a melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden founded in 1990. Along with Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates, they pioneered what is now known as melodic death metal. . In Simi Valley, neighbors of Anna and Rafael Calderon Sr. reacted with disbelief as squadrons of police officers swarmed through the area looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. the suspect and helicopters hovered overhead. ``I thought this area was safe,'' said Joe Oliveira, who moved into the neighborhood from Virginia only two weeks ago. ``I guess something like this can happen anywhere.'' The shootings occurred about 3:45 p.m. in the newly developed Montaire subdivision of Indian Hills Indian Hills can refer to:
``I'm shocked,'' said Darlene Fisher, 48, who lives a block from Wednesday's rampage. ``It's really nerve-racking. So much for Simi Valley being the safest city in the country.'' Neighbors said Anna Calderon's mother, her youngest son and a granddaughter were slain in the attack. Nineteen-year-old Vargas suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was listed in stable condition after undergoing surgery at Simi Valley Hospital Simi Valley Hospital (SVH) is a Seventh-day Adventist hospital located located in Simi Valley, California. SVH is a member of Adventist Health. New Construction Simi Valley Hospital is in the process of building a new wing to the hospital. . Her 16-year-old brother, Rigo, was treated for a gunshot wound to the thigh and released. Rafael Calderon Jr., 18, escaped from the house by jumping through a second-story window when the shooting began, officials said. He was treated for a broken wrist at Los Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
Police Lt. Rex Jones said that neither Rafael Sr. nor Anna Calderon were home at the time of shootings. Witnesses told officers they saw a suspect pull up in a sport utility vehicle and go inside the house shortly before they heard gunshots. Jones said police found victims scattered throughout the two-story home. ``It was devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. , obviously, with the children,'' Jones said. ``It was not a good sight.'' At Simi Valley Hospital, family members and more than a dozen friends of the Calderon children waited anxiously for news. Many of the teens clutched cell phones, others were in tears. David Goldstein David Goldstein is a radio talk show host and blogger in Seattle, Washington. He hosts "The David Goldstein Show" on Saturdays and Sundays on 710 KIRO. Goldstein first gained notoriety in 2003 for Initiative 831, which would have officially proclaimed Washington State political , 17, said his friend Rigo Calderon had just gotten a new red Ford Mustang For other Ford Mustang models and concepts, see . The Ford Mustang is an automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company, originally based on the Ford Falcon compact.[1] on Tuesday night in advance of his 16th birthday. Goldstein said that he and Rigo planned to take the car out for a spin after school on Wednesday. Goldstein also said that Rafael Jr. was an accomplished soccer goalie, while another brother, Ricky, 12 and a seventh-grader at Valley View Junior High, was an avid skateboarder. ``They're the best family I've ever met,'' said another friend, 16-year- old Michael Koppenhaver. ``The whole family - there's not one person who's not nice. The brothers are really close. They all watch out for each other.'' A man who only identified himself as a cousin of the children spoke briefly before joining family members in the emergency room, where they were being counseled by police and hospital chaplains. ``It's hard for me to believe that something like this would happen to our family,'' he said. Neighbors said that Anna Calderon owns a cleaning service, cleaning private homes and businesses. Rafael Sr. owns a machine shop, where son Rigo works. His parents live in Simi Valley. Neighbor Tony Dalirifar said the Calderons are family-oriented, friendly people. ``They had a lot of people going in and out, because they socialized so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. a lot,'' he said. He said there was incident about three months ago when someone threw a large rock at their car and caused extensive damage. ``They are my next-door neighbors - really good people. I can't imagine who could come and shoot them,'' he said. ``The boys loved skateboards and scooters. One had a motorized scooter A motorized scooter is vehicle consisting of a footboard mounted on two wheels and a long steering handle, propelled by a 50cc gas motor, such as a Segway, GoPed or BladeZ, or even Xtreme Scooters. A motorized kick scooter may have an electric or a gas motor. . All the kids played with them. ``I can't believe it. It's just like I'm dreaming. I really feel bad.'' Staff Writers Dana Bartholomew and Sonia Giordani contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, map Photo: (1 -- color) RODRIGUEZ (2 -- color) Simi Valley residents react to the news of deadly shootings in their newly developed, upscale neighborhood Wednesday. Map: Site of shooting Daily News |
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