Man and Stepfather Slain 6 Hours Apart

A gunman killed an 18-year-old man in his Norwalk home Tuesday and returned six hours later and killed the young man’s stepfather as police, a few feet away, were investigating the first shooting, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

The officers chased the gunman, who fled on foot and disappeared into the night. The neighborhood was cordoned off, and about an hour later, deputies using a search dog found Gregorio Solis, 30, a former postal employee, hiding in a back-yard doghouse a few blocks away, according to detectives.

Deputies said they had not established a motive for the killings of David Castillo, 18, and his stepfather, Angelito Casal, 40.

The detectives said Solis, Casal’s former roommate, was booked on two counts of suspicion of murder after being treated for bites inflicted by the search dog. They said a handgun used in the shootings was found in the doghouse.

Neighbors said Solis had become upset when Casal reunited last week with his estranged wife and her son, Castillo. Solis was forced to leave the home in the 14000 block of Harvest Avenue that he had been sharing with Casal.

Evelyn Jones, 69, who lives next door to Casal’s house, said Rebecca Casal, Angelito’s wife, returned home from a shopping trip with her two younger children shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday and walked inside.

Moments later, the children ran up to Jones’ door and one of them shouted, “There’s blood all over the house! Get over there in a hurry!” Jones said.

Jones said she went next door to find Castillo lying face-down in a hallway. “I checked him,” she said. “He was dead.”

Jones’ daughter, Sue Taylor, 43, said friends of the dead youth arrived at the scene a short time later. They told Taylor that Castillo’s girlfriend had telephoned them from a closet in the house, where she had taken refuge when a fight broke out between Castillo and Solis.

Several hours later, as sheriff’s deputies continued to question the family and neighbors about the shooting, Casal returned home from work to learn what had happened, according to Taylor.

“About 10 p.m., Angelito came over here,” Jones recalled. “We gave him some coffee and toast. And we loaned him a coat, because it was getting cold.”

Taylor said that a few minutes later, Casal went back outside.

Deputy John Ashley said Solis stepped out from behind a group of deputies investigating the crime scene and talked briefly with Casal. Ashley said the two men started to walk away together.

“I saw a flash through the living room window and I heard a big bang,” Jones said. “I looked out there and I saw the postman running away and the police running after him. Angelito was lying there by the driveway. His hands were still in his pockets.”

Twelve hours later, Jones and Taylor, who still had not been to bed, were trying to recall details about the victims and the man arrested by deputies.

“He and Angelito used to get along real well,” Taylor said. “They used to get drunk and sing together in the garage.”