Three homicide victims found inside burning Riverside home; suspect killed by sheriff’s deputies
RIVERSIDE — Neighbors say they noticed something unusual about their neighborhood and called police.
Neighbors of a house fire at 2927 N. Riverfront Drive were shocked to see a pile of bodies inside on Saturday morning.
“My neighbor saw a man, apparently dead, and a woman who had apparently been shot dead,” said neighbor Lisa Lopez.
“It was just like ‘Wow, this has happened,”‘ said neighbor Juan Castro.
The burned home in Riverside was occupied by six young people. The sheriff’s office said they were homeless, and the man believed to have died was a suspect in a string of robberies.
Saturday morning, deputies and Riverside police officers found the bodies of two women and one man inside the home.
Deputies went inside the home and made the grim discovery.
“We found a woman who we believe was shot in the head and killed, and then we found a second woman who we believe was also shot in the head; she has been flown to UC Irvine hospital,” sheriff’s Lt. Steve Jones said.
Deputies and sheriff’s deputies killed the man they believed had killed the woman.
“We believe he had shot the second woman in the head and we believe she’s dead as well,” Jones said.
The man is being questioned by homicide detectives.
“It’s a tragic incident and one that I think will be investigated thoroughly as to whether or not this was just an isolated incident, whether or not there was a history of domestic violence, drug abuse and other issues,” Jones said.
Riverside police said they found a handgun and a bullet at the scene. Detectives were checking the gun’s serial number and trying to determine a possible link to the previous crimes.
“He’s a suspect in a couple of armed robberies in Riverside, and the information we have to suspect he’s the suspect in a series of burglaries, so it’s one of those investigations that’s going to be ongoing,” Jones said.
The body of the woman whose home was destroyed was discovered in the master bedroom, according to the coroner’s office.
Police said they expected to release more information early next week.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure they have support at the end of the investigation
