RICHMOND — A Richmond father killed the mother of his children, then turned the gun on himself inside the couple’s residence, police said.
The murder-suicide happened Tuesday morning in the 700 block of Thomas Drive, Richmond police Sgt. Aaron Pomeroy said. Police were called to the residence around 9 a.m. and found the two in a back bedroom.
The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office on Friday identified the woman as 28-year-old Claudia Justinian Mendoza, of Richmond. She had been shot several times, Pomeroy said, and died at the scene.
Her husband, identified as 33-year-old Erick Magallon Izquierdo, had a single gunshot wound, Pomeroy said.
According to police, the two were experiencing marital problems and in the process of separating. They have three children, ages 4-12, Pomeroy said. They were not home when the shootings happened.
According to a Facebook fundraiser, the children are being taken care of by their uncles, and the family is seeking donations from the community to send the couple’s remains back to Mexico. That fundraiser, which seeks $20,000, had raised $2,100 by Friday morning.
A fundraiser set up by the Latina Center in Richmond is asking the community to send donations to them at 3727 Barrett Ave. in Richmond.
