4 California Children, Grandmother Shot to Death by 29-Year-Old Father
A father was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing his four children, including an infant and their grandmother, in a California home, police said.
Authorities have found the victims shot to death Sunday night in a home at Lancaster City in the high desert Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles.
Father Fatally Shot Children, Mother-In-Law in Southern California
According to NBC News, the 29-year-old father, identified by authorities as Germarcus David, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
The sheriff's department said David was detained and questioned after he arrived at the Lancaster sheriff's station shortly after deputies found the four children and woman in her 50s dead at a nearby home.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the four children, all under the age of 12, had all been shot multiple times in their upper torsos. Deputy Tracy Koerner told NBC Los Angeles that one of the four children was a girl, and the rest were boys. One of the boys who were found dead was an infant.
U.S. News reported that Lt. Brandon Dean told The Associated Press that the mother of the four California children discovered the bodies, and she immediately called 911.
Three houses away, Grace Beltran and her son were awakened by the first responders' flashing lights. Beltran said a woman was running back and forth in their front yard while screaming that her kids were dead.
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California Authorities Arrested Father After Killing Four Children, Mother-In-Law
According to Lt. Brandon Dean, a few minutes after the mother arrived at the Southern California home, Germarcus David turned himself to deputies at the Lancaster sheriff's station.
Dean said the grandmother did not live with the family, but she had been babysitting. He noted that he was not aware of any previous reports of domestic violence at the home.
The children's father was arrested after being interviewed by investigators at the Lancaster sheriff's station. He is currently being held on a $2 million bail.
It was not immediately known if Germarcus David had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. But he's expected to make an initial appearance at the Antelope Valley Courthouse on Tuesday.
David was a licensed security guard and held a permit to carry guns, but it expired in August 2020. It was listed as "canceled" based on the records of the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, an agency regulating the private security industry.
The killings happened in a neighborhood of tidy, modern homes, with some decorated for Christmas. The crime scene tape blocked access to the street where the victims were shot.
The neighbor who saw the panicking mother said the four children would usually go outside in the summer afternoon to water their plants, and she would see them riding bicycles around the neighborhood with a dog.
Beltran noted that the children would say hello but not chat with the neighbors. Beltran added that they seemed to be like a happy family.
More than 12 hours later, Beltran said she was still in shock, saying, "nothing happens like that here," and "it's really traumatic."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Grandmother, 4 Children Shot And Killed In Lancaster Home; Father Germarcus David Arrested - From CBS Los Angeles