Reports of gunfire in the neighborhood lead police to the grim discovery of the bodies of two adults in a home in the 300 block of North 7th Street near downtown.
The grief outside the home is unmistakable. And the gunshots some neighbors heard shortly after 4 a.m. Monday were also instantly recognizable, "At least three and then five seconds later another three or four," neighbor Ringo Martinez said.
Family members say those bullets killed Marybel Jimenez, 26, and Pedro Jimenez, 28. Marybel's sister, Olga Espinoza, says the two were high school sweethearts, have three children, and recently got back together after a break in their relationship.
As a testament to their recent reconciliation, Espinoza read her sister's Facebook post from July 15th, "I am with the father of my kids, the man of my life. Hope everything works out for good."
The couple's happy future was shattered when someone stormed into the house and killed the two. The family says the children -- a 5-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl, and another boy, eight or nine years old -- were at home at the time of the murders.
"Yeah they were pretty much crying saying someone shot my mom and dad. The oldest one was," neighbor Angel Martinez said.
Both Marybel and Pedro's families suspect a jealous ex-boyfriend is somehow responsible for the shootings.
Neighbor Ringo Martinez says he saw a man running away from the house, "I didn't see his face. He had the hoodie on, running. That's the same thing I told police. I didn't see the guy."
The families say they want justice but for now are focusing on the children, "We will all take care of them. Everyone, yes," Espinoza said.
Police say they are investigating all leads and believe this was a targeted shooting. While they do not consider the person responsible to pose a threat to the general public, they do say that person is armed and dangerous.
