Pair’s Breakup to Blame in Fatal Shooting Authorities Say

A dispute over the breakup of a relationship apparently provoked a shooting in which a North Hollywood woman and her mother were killed during a struggle in front of three children, Los Angeles police said Monday.

Police said Kimberly Vandenberg, 25, and her mother, Elizabeth Vandenberg, 46, were shot to death in the mother’s house in the 11100 block of Acama Street about 5 p.m. Sunday. Luis Palacio, 34, with whom Kimberly Vandenberg had been living, was arrested in Hawthorne and was being held without bail on suspicion of murder, police said.

Palacio had been shot in the chest before he was captured and police believe that he was wounded during a struggle with the Vandenbergs.

Detective Mike Coffey said the shootings were partially witnessed by Kimberly Vandenberg’s two children, a 4-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy who is Palacio’s son. They also were seen by Kimberly’s 12-year-old sister.

Children in Custody

The children have been taken into custody by the Division of Youth Services until authorities can place them with relatives.

“They were scared to death,” Coffey said of the children. When the shooting started, “They hid in the kitchen. They were still in there when the police arrived.”

Coffey said Palacio and Kimberly Vandenberg lived together in North Hollywood but were in the process of breaking up. Vandenberg had taken her children to her mother’s house for a visit Sunday, and a dispute began after Palacio arrived.

“It was a slight discussion, not even a heated argument as far as we can tell,” Coffey said. Palacio took out a gun and the shooting began, Coffey said.

Palacio fled in Kimberly Vandenberg’s car after the shooting. Coffey said Palacio went to the house of a friend in Hawthorne and said he had been shot and needed help. The friend called police and Palacio left.

Hawthorme police learned of the North Hollywood slayings and received a description of Kimberly Vandenberg’s car. Palacio was arrested at 7:30 p.m. when a Hawthorne officer found him in a telephone booth after seeing Kimberly Vandenberg’s car parked at Rosecrans and Ramona avenues.

Coffey said that Palacio was in good condition with a serious but not life-threatening chest wound and that he was being treated at an undisclosed hospital. Palacio was expected to be transferred later this week to the jail ward of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.