La Jolla Shootings: Two Men Wounded In Separate Incidents

Two separate shootings in La Jolla left two men wounded on Wednesday morning according to police.

A local man was shot in his bedroom by a suspect who fired a at him from his yard. A few hours later, at a home not far away, another shooting injured a 43-year-old man, according to San Diego police.

The second victim was able to subdue his attacker, who ended up being identified as his former brother-in-law.

The victims’ names have not been released by police, but both were being treated at local hospitals and expected to survive their injuries.

San Diego police Leutenant Kevin Mayer stated that the suspect in the second shooting was identified as 48-year-old Hans Petersen and was treated at the hospital for head wounds received during the altercation with his victim.

Afterwards, Petersen was taken to police headquarters for questioning.

Mayer says it’s unclear if Petersen is responsible for the earlier shooting in La Jolla at this time.

Neighbors identified the victim in the first shooting as University of California San Diego researcher Steven Dowdy, 53, who at approximately 3 am was sleeping in his bedroom with his wife, when he awakened to shots fired.

When he got up to investigate, he got hit by one of the bullets.

According to UT San Diego, the relationship between Dowdy and Petersen in not clear, although at one time both were next door neighbors and they also invested in the same company, which went bankrupt last year.

About three hours after the first incident, Petersen is accused of smashing a window with a rock and breaking into the home of his ex-wife’s brother, Mayer said.

Neighbors identified the homeowner as Ron Fletcher, a prominent Realtor and property investor.

Police have not released a motive for the La Jolla shootings as of yet.

[Image via Peggy Peattie]