Birthday Party for Girl, 4, Ends with 2 Dead, 2 Injured

A birthday party for a 4-year-old girl erupted in a burst of gunfire late Sunday night in Ramona, leaving two men--including the girl’s father--dead, two others injured seriously and the killer on the run.

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies said the assailant is believed to have fled to Mexico soon after the shooting, which had women and children cowering in fear of their lives as the gunman emptied his weapon in short order into the crowded residence.

The shooting occurred about 10:50 p.m. Sunday in an apartment complex in the 700 block of B Street as birthday observers began winding down a daylong celebration, witnesses told authorities.

Argued With Suspect About His Manners

The suspect, identified by the Sheriff’s Department as Jose Angel Solario, 27, a laborer who lives in Ramona, allegedly argued with several men at the party about “his manners and the proper decorum for a party where women and children were present,” Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Baxter said.

Solario left the apartment with his wife and children about 10:30 p.m., only to return by himself about 10 minutes later, when he walked into the apartment and allegedly began shooting a handgun, Baxter said.

“The suspect apparently took offense at what was being said about his manners and he came back to retaliate,” Baxter said.

A sheriff’s deputy who responded to a call of gunfire found an injured man standing outside the apartment, and another injured man and the two dead men inside, Baxter said. No one else was injured.

The dead men were identified as German Aviles-Amaya, 28, who gave the party for his daughter, and Ventura Aviles-Holguien, 21, his nephew who lived two blocks away.

Injured in the gunfire were Carlos Holguien-Amavizca, 30, and Jose Aviles-Amaya, 25. A spokesman for Palomar Memorial Hospital in Escondido said both were in critical but stable condition Monday afternoon after surgery.

Early Monday morning, the sheriff’s tactical unit surrounded a mobile home park where they believed Solario had holed up and arrested a man who was later released as a case of mistaken identity.

Baxter said Solario was believed to have headed for Mexico. Investigators have questioned his family in Ramona.

“He didn’t return home to his last known residence and nobody’s seen him since,” Baxter said.

The weapon has not been recovered, he said.