Gun used in fatal Oaks mall shooting had been seized — and wrongfully returned

The gun that authorities say a man used to kill his ex-wife at a Thousand Oaks mall over the weekend had been seized by deputies years earlier — and wrongfully returned to him.

On Saturday, Kevin Crane, 33, shot and killed his ex-wife, Parisa Siddiqi, 29, and then shot himself in a murder and attempted suicide at the Oaks shopping mall, officials said, causing panicked shoppers to stream for exits and prompting a huge police response.

Crane used a Glock .40-caliber handgun that had been seized in September 2014 when he was arrested on suspicion of battering Siddiqi during a dispute, leaving her with minor injuries, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Prosecutors later charged Crane with misdemeanor battery, and a judge in November 2014 ordered that his handgun be confiscated. But the Sheriff’s Office said the agency didn’t receive the order until nearly a year later.

By then, authorities had returned the gun to him.

Prosecutors dropped the charge against Crane in January 2015 because Siddiqi would not cooperate. Crane then sought to get his gun back, filing a release application with the California Department of Justice.

The Justice Department sent him a letter in March 2015 saying he was eligible to possess the firearm. That month, Crane showed up at the sheriff’s station and received his gun.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the property room staff was unaware of the court order when they returned the gun.

“Investigators are working to determine why there was a lapse in time between the order being issued and the document being received,” the Sheriff’s Office said. Sheriff’s officials and prosecutors “are reviewing the process and are taking steps to ensure this never happens again.”

Crane remains in critical condition at a local hospital.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek