SHOOTER GOES ON RAMPAGE KILLER, PATRON DEAD, 2 HURT.

Byline: JASON KANDEL and BRENT HOPKINS

Staff Writers

SIMI VALLEY -- Was it just an argument that left two people dead and two wounded? Or did a senseless, random killing begin the bloodbath? Or was it all premeditated?

The Simi Valley Police Department investigated a quadruple shooting about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Tire Pros shop near East Los Angeles Avenue and Tapo Street.

Police identified one dead victim, customer Susan Sutcliffe, 53, of Simi Valley. They also identified two wounded bystanders, shop owner Henry John Heeber IV, 37, also of Simi Valley, and employee Albert Ramirez, 20, of Moorpark.

They named the shooter as Robert Becerra, 29, another Simi Valley resident.

But they didn't say why he killed Sutcliffe with a shot to the face, then shot Ramirez in the belly and Heeber twice in the arms. Nor did they say why Becerra turned the gun on himself and ended his life with a shot to the head.

"Anytime something like this happens, it's very shocking," Lt. Roy Jones said. "Even to us."

For Heeber, known to his friends as John, work began like any normal Tuesday. He was opening up his tire shop about 7:30 a.m., ready to greet customers. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the quiet business district.

Soon, he was running down the street, screaming for help. Blood gushed from his wounds as he dashed to Newcastle Motors, a block away. Inside, his friend Cosmo Torres was preparing for the day as well.

Torres heard Heeber yelling and ran to the door to find the stricken man standing in a puddle of red.

"He was all bloody," Torres said. "He was pale. He was saying, 'Call 911!"'

Torres gave him a towel to stanch the blood flow and called for help. Police arrived to find Heeber and Ramirez both bleeding. Sutcliffe was dead, slumped on a chair outside the tire store, her purse at her feet. Becerra shot himself outside and died at the scene.

By the end of the day, Heeber and Ramirez were in a hospital recovering from their wounds. Authorities offered no clues about whether Becerra knew the victims, why the shootings happened or how.

Witnesses offered conflicting versions of the shooting spree. In one, Tire Pros Marketing Director Stephan Longo described an argument starting several doors down and spilling over into the business with the victims caught by chance.

Another version, offered by a friend of Heeber, had Becerra walking up to Sutcliffe, who was sitting outside the shop, pulling a pistol from a bag and shooting her in the head. He then shot Ramirez in the stomach, the source said, then fired two more shots at Heeber when the owner came to investigate.

Jones said police could not confirm either story.

Described by friends as a devout Christian and caring individual, Heeber has been with the chain of tire shops for 15 years, owning and operating the business.

Police cordoned off an area between Tapo and Park streets and blocked one lane of Los Angeles Avenue while they scoured the scene. A coroner's van pulled into the service bay and investigators examined a body, believed to be Becerra's, lying inside.

Sutcliffe's body slumped in a row of plastic chairs outside the shop. Police provided no information about her, but voter registration information shows she was born in Connecticut and had celebrated her 53rd birthday just a week before.

"This just doesn't happen in Simi," said Dani Alley, who lives nearby. "I was so shocked."

As were many of her neighbors. Killers rarely strike in the suburban city, home to many law enforcement officers. This was the city's first homicide this year. It recorded only three last year and none in 2005.

News spread quickly from the shooting site across town, leaving residents baffled at the violence.

"It's tragic and disturbing," said Councilman Glen Becerra, no relation to the shooter. "It strikes right at the heart of what makes our community so special. ... This is just a very sad and unfortunate reminder that very bad things can happen in wonderful places."

In its moment of shock, the community found solace in comforting the families of the victims.

At the hospital, Pastor Joe Schimmel of Blessed Hope Chapel led a group of 50 friends, family members and congregants in a prayer circle. He said he'd spoken with Heeber and expected him to recover from a shattered right arm and graze wound to the left.

The Ramirez family released a statement thanking them for their support. By midafternoon, Ramirez had emerged from surgery and was in stable condition.

"Our hearts are broken for those who have lost loved ones," Schimmel said. "They're not out of the woods yet."

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1) Simi Valley police investigate at the Tire Pros store after a gunman killed a woman customer and shot and wounded two tire shop employees before killing himself Tuesday morning.

(2) Newcastle Motors owner Cosmo Torres says one of the Tire Pros store shooting victims came to his store looking for help.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Map:

2 dead, 2 wounded at Tire Pros, 4386 E. Los Angeles Ave.