A deadly shooting in San Diego has left two people dead and several children traumatized, according to police.
Officers responded to a tip shortly after 12:25 a.m. on January 19 regarding two bloodied individuals in the 100 block of 27th Street. When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, and both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the victims as Ruben Chavez, 31, and Evelyn Virgen, 28, both of San Diego. Investigators said the two were in a romantic relationship.
Authorities also discovered three young children — all under the age of two — inside a nearby parked vehicle registered to Virgen. The children were not physically harmed and were taken to safety. Investigators believe the children belong to Virgen.
Detectives determined that Chavez and Virgen had been involved in an ongoing dispute with Chavez’s former girlfriend, Princess Perez, 25, and her current boyfriend, Ramses “Rex” Morales, 21.
Police said Perez and Morales were in the area at the time of the shooting but fled before officers arrived. The pair were later detained by U.S. Border Patrol at the San Ysidro Port of Entry around 10 a.m. the same day as they attempted to re-enter the United States.
Morales was charged with two counts of murder and appeared in court on January 22, where he pleaded not guilty. He is also facing three counts of child endangerment related to the children found in the vehicle near the crime scene.
Prosecutors have alleged special circumstances in the case, including multiple murders and the killing of a potential witness. If pursued, those allegations could make Morales eligible for the death penalty upon conviction.
Perez was charged as an accessory, accused of helping Morales flee to Mexico following the killings. She also pleaded not guilty.
Authorities said Chavez had been involved in an ongoing custody dispute with Perez over their two children. Court records indicate he was seeking joint custody but had only supervised visitation rights at the time of his death.
Both Morales and Perez were ordered held without bail following their arraignments. Investigators said the case remains active as they continue examining the relationships and events leading up to the shooting.
Family members of the victims have launched a fundraiser to support the children left behind. Chavez and Virgen are survived by nine children in total, including the three toddlers who were present near the scene when the shootings occurred.