Three Killed In Pasadena Shooting


Three people were killed and two injured on Saturday in a Pasadena shooting. The tenant of an apartment building shot his landlord over a long-standing dispute, killing two others and injuring two more in the process.

According to CBS Los Angeles, Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez has identified the shooter as 35-year-old John Izeal Smith, a Pasadena resident who admitted to opening fire and killing his landlord. Smith is in custody now. The landlord was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office as 59-year-old Maria Teresa Aguiar. She was shot and killed inside her Pasadena home where she lived with her father.

The shooting was first reported at 4:20 pm. When officers arrived on the scene, Smith opened fire on police vehicles, hitting a patrol car with several rounds but injuring no police officers. After the shooting was over, Smith then barricaded himself inside his Pasadena apartment. Smith and police had a brief standoff, but eventually the shooter was convinced to give himself up and confessed to the crimes. He was taken into custody at 6 pm on Saturday evening.

Only one victim has been identified, but another person was found dead inside the apartment and a third by nearby trees. The identities of the other two victims are being withheld until their next of kin are notified of the shooting, but they were both adult men. According to the LA Times, one of the victims whom police called a “good Samaritan” was shot and killed in the driveway.

“It appeared that he approached the house to see what was going on,” said Deputy Chief Darryl Qualls. “He turned around and ran and was struck by gunfire.”

A man and a woman also suffered minor injuries during the shooting but were not fatally wounded. In the midst of the shooting, Smith called the Pasadena Police Department and spoke with the dispatcher. A professional hostage negotiator got on the line as well and was able to talk Smith into surrendering.

“It is a horrific day for Pasadena,” said Pasadena Police Chief Sanchez. “It’s a tragedy.”

Smith used a semiautomatic rifle during the shooting. Pasadena police also recovered two handguns from the scene.

Everyone in the neighborhood was badly shaken up from the shooting, and many were seen gathering around the police tape holding one another and crying. A local Pasadena resident, 16-year-old Enrique Valasquez, reported that the shooting woke him up from a nap.

He said:

“At first, I thought it was fireworks, but there were too many shots, too close together. It’s been crazy out here.”

The most recent shooting that The Inquisitr reported on was a theater shooting in Florida over someone texting during a movie. Click here to read more.

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