Man Kills Girlfriend, Himself at Brea Mall

An argument in the Brea Mall parking lot erupted in gunfire Thursday afternoon when a man shot his girlfriend to death as she tried to escape in a car, then killed himself, police said.

The woman, Sandra Diaz Supnet, 20, of Rowland Heights, was shot several times by her boyfriend, who was identified as Alexander Chua, 24, of Wilmington, after she jumped into her Toyota Corolla and tried to back the car up, Brea Police Lt. Jim Winder said.

Chua then opened the passenger door of her car, knelt and placed the gun to his head and fired twice, police said. A security guard heard the argument, then ducked when he heard gunfire shortly after 2 p.m.

Paramedics arriving at the scene took Chua to St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, where he was declared dead, police said.

At least 10 shell casings were found on the ground by the driver’s seat window. Police said the weapon found near the body was a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol.

The couple were arguing before the shooting in a language unknown to any of the witnesses, said police, who added that they may have been speaking in a Philippine dialect. Thus, no witnesses could tell why they were arguing.

Supnet, whose parents live in the Philippines, had been living with her grandmother and uncle in a two-story, ranch-style home in the 19400 block of Bluffwood Street in Rowland Heights, which is about 8 miles north of Brea in Los Angeles County, police said.

“The family was quite upset” when detectives notified them of Supnet’s death late Thursday, Winder said. “It was quite a scene. It is something very difficult to handle.”

Police did not know when Supnet arrived in this country.

The shooting began about 150 feet south of The Broadway department store’s main entrance, where Supnet’s bronze-brown Toyota was parked.

Jim Butterfield was working nearby on his Ford Falcon’s broken starter when he heard the shots.

‘Sounded Like Firecrackers’

“It sounded like firecrackers,” the 24-year-old Fullerton man said. “I kind of took a look and saw the dude shooting into the car. He was standing in front of the car shooting into the front window.

“He went to the passenger side. I saw him kneel down and heard another shot,” he said. “I thought he was talking to the girl. That’s when all the people started running around.”

Another witness, who asked not to be named, said he ran after hearing the crack of the gunshot and watching the man fall.

“I was concerned if this was some crazy loony,” the man said. “I ran into the mall,”

In a statement released by the mall, manager James Charter said neither the man nor the woman had any connection with the mall.

“An unfortunate occurrence took place in the parking lot this afternoon,” he said. “A spat between a man and a woman who seemed to have a close relationship resulted in a shooting.”

Police said Chua apparently ran to the front of the car and fired four shots through the windshield as Supnet tried to back away. He then walked to the window by the driver’s seat and fired several more times into the car.

He was found with his knees on the pavement and his head resting on the passenger seat when police arrived.