Three children and their mother were killed by their father Saturday morning in Paradise Hills in an apparent murder-suicide, according to police investigators. NBC 7’s Erika Cervantes has more.
A mother, a father and their four sons were found wounded in a home in San Diego's Paradise Hills community Saturday morning in an apparent case of murder-suicide, investigators confirmed. Five of the family members died.
The San Diego Police Department said the parents and one of their four sons were found dead at the family's home on the 2100 block of Flintridge Drive in Paradise Hills, a neighborhood east of Interstate 805 and Euclid Avenue.
Family members identified the parents as José Valdivia, 31, and Sabrina Rosario, 29, and their son Enzi Valdivia, 3, as the three people found dead at the family's home. The three other children, also all boys, were taken to a local hospital.
Two boys, 5-year-old Zuriel Valdivia and 11-year-old Zeth Valdivia, died at the hospital; the fourth child, Ezekiel Valdivia, 9, underwent surgery and, as of 8 p.m. Saturday, was in critical condition, family members confirmed with NBC 7.
SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs said investigators believe the father shot his family and himself.
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"It’s still very early in the investigation but it appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence, murder-suicide," he said. "We believe the male came over this morning, there was some kind of argument or disagreement and he used a hand gun and shot his family before turning the gun upon himself."
According to Dobbs, authorities received a 911 call at about 6:49 a.m. from the home on Flintridge Drive. The dispatcher did not speak to anyone on the call but could hear people arguing in the background, Dobbs said.
Officers made their way to the house to see what was happening there. Authorities then received another 911 call, this time from a neighboring relative reporting arguing and what sounded like a nail gun firing from that same home, Dobbs said.
When officers knocked on the front door, no one answered.
Officers walked to the rear of the home and, through a back window, made a gruesome discovery: a child was on the floor, covered in blood, Dobbs said.
Once they made their way inside the house, officers found the rest of the family, all lying on the floor with apparent gunshot wounds.
The investigation is ongoing, but Dobbs said the mother had obtained a restraining order against the father on Friday but it was unclear if that order had been served.
Sabrina Rosario's sister, Jocelyn Rosario, said the two parents were high school sweethearts and Sabrina Rosario filed for a divorce that was never finalized. She claimed José Valdivia did not want the divorce and began stalking his wife, telling her he had suicidal thoughts.
He once sent his wife photos of alcohol and a gun, Jocelyn Rosario told NBC 7, adding Sabrina Rosario was killed in the home she grew up in.
Dobbs said the father is the suspect in this case, and no other suspects are outstanding.
The tragedy rattled neighbors, including Sanya Gordon, who lives a few houses away.
“Why would someone take these kids' life? It's senseless; they’re pure and innocent,” Gordon told NBC 7.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical and funeral expenses.
The names of the victims and suspect have not yet been officially released by police. The investigation at the home stretched well into the afternoon as officers worked to gather more evidence.
Police previously said the 11-year-old had survived, but later added it had been difficult to differentiate between the two older boys. Family members told NBC 7 that the 9-year-old had survived and was in critical condition.
No other information was available.
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