Man Sought as Witness in Double Slaying in Westminster : Crime: He is not considered a suspect in the shooting deaths of two men in a home, police say.

Police on Wednesday searched for a man who may have witnessed the shooting deaths of two men in a Westminster home.

The man, whom police said they have tentatively identified, is not considered a suspect in the Tuesday slayings of Jerry Lee Skillman, 35, and Steven Frances Rita, 28. Sgt. Mike Mittelstaedt declined to say more about the man to protect him from possible retaliation.

“We think he’s the best witness we have now and it’s understandable why he would want to leave the house in a hurry,” Mittelstaedt said.

Homicide investigators do not know why Skillman and Rita were killed, Mittelstaedt said. “We’re still in open season for that. We don’t know if it is a business deal gone bad or over a relationship or what. We don’t know.”

Neighbors on Tuesday called police about 12:20 p.m. after they heard gunshots in the 6000 block of Bannock Road and saw two men leave the house in a red pickup, police said. When officers arrived, they entered the home through an open front door.

Inside, officers found Skillman and Rita shot in the head. Both men died shortly afterward.

Skillman lived at the home with his mother, Colleen, and brother Gary, 30, police said. Neither is a suspect in the slayings, Mittelstaedt said.

Skillman worked part time as a mechanic and Rita did occasional landscaping work, police said.