Deputies have identified the three people killed Tuesday afternoon in what they’re investigating as a double-homicide suicide.
Robert Diaz Gutierrez, 42, was identified as the man who shot and killed his wife, Elizabeth Orozco, 40, and Orozco’s mother, Adela Ruiz-Gonzales, 66, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Gutierrez then killed himself.
Three children were at home at the time and witnessed the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded to the home Gutierrez and Orozco shared at 2614 N.E. 98th St. at about 3:45 p.m. after one of the children called 911 to report the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ruiz-Gonzales was visiting from Uruapan, Mexico, where she lived, deputies said.
Investigators’ initial findings show the incident began as a domestic argument earlier in the day that escalated into a “horrific tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. There was no reported history of domestic violence at the house, said Sgt. Alex Schoening. It appears Gutierrez has no criminal history in Clark County, according to court records.
Stephen Browning, who lives a couple of doors down, said he often saw Gutierrez and Orozco walking the neighborhood.
“He seemed like a nice guy as far as I could tell,” Browning said.
Gutierrez had complained to him about people parking in front of his house.
Four children lived at the home, according to the sheriff’s office. The children range in age from 11 to 19 and were not identified by the sheriff’s office.
None of the children were injured in the shooting and the three who were home were escorted from the house by deputies. The sheriff’s office said they are safe at an undisclosed location.
“They’re recovering from a horrific event and probably will never recover in much measure,” Schoening said. “It’s something that will be felt in their family for generations.”
He added that the law enforcement officers who respond to these kinds of calls are also affected.
“You don’t ever get used to dealing with tragedies that seem so preventable and needless. … We have an investment in this community and we feel it as well,” he said. “We’re all dads and wives and husbands and daughters. It causes you to focus on your family and how important they truly are and how precious life really is.”
Detectives said that no additional suspects are being sought in this case and that no danger exists to the community with regard to this incident.
Gutierrez worked at Robert’s Auto Collision on Northeast 95th Street. Fred Kopp, who works at the auto repair shop next door, said Gutierrez worked by himself for the most part and would occasionally ask to borrow tools or seek advice.
