3 Sheriff’s Officers Die in Apparent Murder, Suicide

An off-duty San Bernardino County sheriff’s detective shot and killed his estranged wife and a sergeant with whom she had been romantically involved and then committed suicide, authorities said Saturday.

Investigators believe Senior Deputy Gary Vest, 33, shot his estranged wife, Deputy Shirley Vest, 40, a booking officer, and Sgt. Richard Crocker, 42, with whom she apparently had been living, then turned the gun on himself, Sheriff’s Deputy Bob Morgan said.

Time Not Determined

Although the exact time of the killings had not been determined, investigators said they believe that they occurred sometime Friday evening, Morgan said.

Mrs. Vest and Crocker apparently were living together in the home in Pinon Hills where the shooting occurred, he said. Pinon Hills is on the northern side of Southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains, about 45 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

A deputy from the Victor Valley sheriff’s substation discovered the bodies at the Pinon Hills home about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Morgan said. He had been sent to investigate after the sergeant and booking officer failed to show up for work at midnight Friday and numerous calls to the home went unanswered.

The bodies of the Vests were found in the front room, near a 9-millimeter pistol believed used in the killings, Morgan said. Crocker’s body was in the kitchen.

The Vests had been married a little more than a year, but had been separated several months, Morgan said. It was not immediately known how long Mrs. Vest had been living with Crocker.

Crocker was a 15-year veteran of the department and was divorced. Vest had been with the department five years and Mrs. Vest had worked for the department nine years.