SANTA ANA : Man Killed in Family Fight; In-Law Sought
A family dispute turned deadly Thursday night when a Santa Ana man allegedly shot his brother-in-law after the two became embroiled in an argument over treatment of the victim’s wife, police said Friday.
The suspect, identified as Hermelindo Roldan, 26, of Santa Ana, was still at large Friday, Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Haacker said. It is believed that he fled to Mexico after the 10:28 p.m. shooting.
Haacker said that Roldan and his brother-in-law, Roberto Rodriguez, were at home in their apartment in the 1000 block of West Santa Ana Boulevard when they began arguing about Rodriguez’s wife.
Roldan apparently was accusing Rodriguez of abusing his wife, Roldan’s sister, Haacker said.
“(Roldan) has warned (Rodriguez) in the past about treating his wife better,” Haacker said. She did not elaborate on the nature of the abuse.
The argument turned violent when Roldan allegedly grabbed a rifle and shot Rodriguez once as the victim stood in the doorway of the apartment, Haacker said.
When police arrived at the apartment, they found Rodriguez, 23, dead at the scene, Haacker said.
“It was a domestic argument with an unhappy ending,” she said.
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