Suspect, victims ID'd in Salinas domestic dispute homicide

SALINAS, Calif. -- Salinas police identified on Friday a suspect and two victims killed in a shooting in Salinas on Thursday morning that stemmed from a domestic dispute.

Sammuel Ejaz, 50, is accused of fatally shooting Felicidad Legaspi, 51, and Oliver Legaspi, 64, who were the aunt and uncle of his estranged 32-year-old wife, police said.

Ejaz and his wife live in Garden Grove but their martial problems led her to leave the Southern California city for Salinas to be with relatives, police said.

Ejaz allegedly traveled to the Salinas area to track down his estranged wife, police Cmdr. Vince Maiorana said.

On Thursday morning, Ejaz drove behind the 32-year-old woman and her relatives to a Social Security Administration building parking lot, Maiorana said.

Around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to reports of shots fired and possible victims in a parking lot at 928 E. Blanco Road, which is a highly trafficked industrial area, Maiorana said.

Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service offices are listed at that address.

Minutes later, four officers arrived at the scene, where they found two people dead and two other others injured from gunfire, Maiorana said.

The suspect allegedly fired multiple shots at his estranged wife and three of her relatives: the Legaspis and their 28-year-old son, Maiorana said.

He exchanged words with his estranged wife prior to the shooting, Maiorana said.

Felicidad Legaspi was found outside the vehicle, and Oliver Legaspi was found inside the vehicle, according to Maiorana.

The 32-year-old woman and her cousin, the 28-year-old man, were transported to a hospital with significant injuries, according to Maiorana.

The woman is in critical but stable condition and her cousin is in stable condition, he said. An update on their conditions was not immediately available today.

The suspect, who witnesses identified as the shooter, was taken into custody without incident and confessed to the crime, Maiorana said.

The suspect has been booked into Monterey County Jail where he is being held on a more than $4 million bail, according to jail records.

Police recovered a 9mm handgun the suspect allegedly used at the scene, according to Maiorana.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Salinas police investigations division at (831) 758-7226 or WeTip line at (800) 782-7463.