Two women are dead in a South Bay double-murder. It's prompted a county-wide manhunt for the 38-year-old David Bell, the suspected gunman. Chula Vista Police say Bell called 911 shortly after 3:00a.m. Friday morning, telling emergency dispatchers he just murdered two women.
Bell told dispatchers it happened at a condo in the 2700 block of Apricot Court, which is just west of Lower Otay Lake near the Olympic Training Center. Officers responded to that condo, where they found the garage of the three-story home open, and they began conducting a welfare check. Chula Vista Police Lt. Eric Thunberg says the women were found in separate bedrooms on the third floor dead from apparent gunshot wounds.Neighbors told police they heard between six to seven shots, Thunberg said. It wasn't immediately clear if anyone else reported the shooting before Bell. Both women were adults, including one who may have been in a relationship with Bell, and the victims are believed to be related, Thunberg said. Their names were not immediately released.
Nobody else was found inside the home, and police had yet to conduct a thorough search for a possible weapon while they waited for the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office to respond.Bell is described as a roughly 5-foot-6-inch, 200 pound man who is a known drug user, has access to firearms and should be considered armed and dangerous. Thunberg did not provide a possible motive for the killing but said Bell apparently stayed at the condo from time to time, and there were no signs of a break-in or forced entry.
"This is certainly concerning, but we don't have any information there's a gunman on the loose targeting strangers,'' Thunberg said. ``If that was case, we'd let people know.''Bell is likely driving a white Mazda 3 sedan with Oklahoma license plates. Other vehicles he's known to drive include a 1973 GMC pickup truck or a gold four-door 1994 Honda Accord. Anyone who sees Bell was warned not to approach him but instead call 911.
Photo Credit: Chula Vista Police Department