Breakup of Pair Leads to Death : Distraught Boyfriend Blamed in Attack That Leaves One Man Dead

A 33-year-old man, reportedly distraught over the recent break-up with his girlfriend, allegedly shot and killed the woman’s son Saturday in her Anaheim home, and then held her elderly mother hostage for nearly six hours before releasing her and surrendering, Anaheim police said.

Darren Look, 21, was shot when he ran to his mother’s defense after a suspect identified by police as George (Bill) Bernside stormed into the family’s home with a gun and a hand grenade, according to a witness. The siege ended when the gunman released Look’s 67-year-old grandmother and then surrendered to police.

Look’s girlfriend, who witnessed the shooting, said the suspect came to the North Aetna Street home about 10:30 a.m. and threatened to kill everyone inside and himself.

Tells of Threat

“He said ‘All of us are going to die,’ ” said Tammy McDaniel, 22, who was with Look in his bedroom when the suspect burst into the house. “He was irate and he said he was going to kill everybody and himself.”

Look’s mother, Barbara Badgett Look, her father and two family friends escaped unharmed shortly after the shooting. McDaniel said the suspect allowed her to move her dying boyfriend to the courtyard outside the house, but he continued to hold Barbara Look’s mother, identified by neighbors as Jean Badgett, during hours of tense telephone negotiations with police.

Badgett was permitted to leave the house shortly after 4 p.m., leaning heavily on the arm of a police SWAT member. About 20 minutes later, police pulled Bernside from the house and arrested him on the front lawn. He was taken to the Anaheim police station. Charges were pending Saturday night.

The tragedy came as no shock to neighbors, who said police had been summoned to the house repeatedly to cool arguments between Barbara Look and her ex-boyfriend.

Hears the Shot

“I heard the shot and I just told my friend, ‘There they go, they’re killing each other again,’ ” said Pat Region, who lives next door to the Look residence. When Region realized that someone had been shot, she said, “I was terrified. I thought, Oh, God, it’s finally come down to this.”

Police said the shooting stemmed from an argument between Bernside and Barbara Look that had quickly escalated.

“During the argument, things got out of hand and he shot the ex-girlfriend’s son, “ said Officer Jeff Berns, a member of the police hostage negotiation unit. “Bernside was apparently despondent about their breakup.”

McDaniel said she and Look were awakened by shouting between Barbara Look and Bernside, who had broken up about a month ago. When Darren Look confronted Bernside in the hall, he was shot in the lower right chest, McDaniel said.

“I didn’t think that all of us might die,” McDaniel said, “I was worried about Darren.”

Summons Help

She said she called 911 to summon help and then started to drag the wounded Look out of the house.

“I told Darren I would get him some help and he said ‘I love you,’ ” she said. “Those were the last words he said.”

Police and paramedics arrived at 11:30 a.m., and police sealed off the block and set up a command post across the street from the barricaded home. At least 10 Special Weapons and Tactics officers were at the scene.

At one point, shortly after police arrived, officers tried to retrieve Look’s body from the doorstep, believing he might still be alive. They dragged the body to the neighbor’s front lawn, but were forced to retreat when the gunman spotted their location.

Already Dead

Authorities said, however, they believe Look had been dead for at least half an hour by then.

Jim Hopkins, who lives across the street from the Look home, said Bernside lived “on and off” in the house until recently. Times staff writers Lily Eng and Jerry Hicks also contributed to this story.