A California man has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead his grandmother and his father’s girlfriend as the family was opening their Christmas gifts.
Austin Alvarez, 23, turned up at his family’s home in Reedley on Saturday afternoon and pulled out a gun just as his relatives started exchanging presents, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.
His grandmother Magdalena Alvarez, 58, and his dad’s 39-year-old girlfriend Meisa Rashid were both struck and killed.
As he was fleeing the home in the wake of the shooting, Alvarez noticed his father sitting in his truck and allegedly started firing at him, authorities said.
His father wasn’t injured.
Alvarez was captured by authorities in his GMC pickup truck about 10 miles from the home.
The California Highway Patrol and multiple local law enforcement agencies were involved in tracking him down.
Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings.
Alvarez was booked into the Fresno County jail on two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
His bail was set at $2.5 million.
