Man Kills 9-Year-Old Son, Self in Attack on Family

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Fourth-grader German Garcia, described by his school principal as “one of our shining stars,” died Tuesday night on the floor of the bedroom his mother had decorated with his awards for good schoolwork and citizenship, Los Angeles police said.

His father shot him on an evening that began well, with a family gathering and a long-planned father-son outing, Detective Mike Coffey said. And, according to the boy’s teacher, German himself undoubtedly was looking forward to school Wednesday because he was to receive a special treat--a McDonald’s lunch--for being the first in his class to memorize his multiplication tables.

But family violence snuffed the life of a well-behaved, studious 9-year-old everyone at Strathern Street Elementary School was sure would be going places someday.

Even Coffey, who has investigated numerous homicides in his time, found it difficult to understand.

“It’s hard to comprehend that anyone could do this,” Coffey said.

According to police, the outburst began when Miguel Garcia Manzo, 31, flew into a rage after his former wife refused to reconcile with him. Vowing, “We’re all going to die together,” Manzo shot Maria Chavez de Garcia, 30, and their two sons with a semiautomatic pistol before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Manzo died in the bedroom of his former wife’s Whitsett Avenue apartment, with his two bloodied sons lying beside him. Neighbors and Manzo’s boss at a North Hollywood bakery said they never imagined that the gentle, soft-spoken man they knew could turn on the sons he adored. They said he kept up with his child-support payments and took the boys to ballgames and other events nearly every weekend.

Yet on Wednesday, German was dead, Manzo’s first-born son and namesake--11-year-old Miguel Garcia Jr.--was clinging to life at Holy Cross Medical Center, and Maria Garcia was in stable condition with gunshot wounds in her face and back.

Maria Garcia gave police the following account of what happened, Coffey said:

The evening began with a happy family gathering. Manzo took the boys to a father-son event and later met Maria Garcia and other family members at the apartment. After the relatives left, however, Manzo told Garcia they should reconcile since he missed his family and felt he was the only man for her.

The couple had been married since they were teen-agers--for about 15 years--but Garcia told police that Manzo had been physically and psychologically abusive, and they divorced about 2 1/2 years ago.

When Garcia told him Wednesday that a reconciliation was out of the question, Manzo suddenly pulled out the pistol and began shooting, she said.

Coffey said Manzo shot her first in the face, then in the back as she ran out the door of the apartment. After she ran, she said she heard another six or seven shots.

On Wednesday, stunned neighbors recalled how Garcia, soaked in blood, pounded on their door, shrieking at them to dial 911. A trail of bloodstains traced her route from her apartment to Sofia Malagon’s.

Malagon, who lives next door, said she hadn’t heard any arguing or shots because the television was on. But at about 10:15 p.m., she and son-in-law Jaime Aguilera heard running followed by sharp knocks on their door.

“Everybody saw her covered with blood. Everybody got scared,” Malagon said in Spanish. She said she took Garcia into the bedroom and pressed rags and facial tissue to her wounds to try to slow the bleeding as Garcia begged a police dispatcher to send officers quickly.

“Hurry up, hurry up!” Garcia cried into the telephone receiver, according to Malagon. “My husband is going to kill my children.”

Then, Malagon said, Garcia’s face “turned yellow” and she collapsed.

“The officers responded to a murder in progress, but when they got there they had to force in the door,” said Coffey, who heads the homicide unit at the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood station. “They went in and discovered they were too late.”

German Garcia was shot several times in the upper body, Coffey said. Miguel Garcia Jr. was shot once in the head.

Valerie Brewington, German’s teacher at nearby Strathern Street school, said she’d already taken his special lunch order and planned to deliver it on Wednesday. He’d asked for a Big Mac and fries as his reward for his math skills.

“He was very smart and he had a pretty distinct personality,” she said. “He was very even-tempered and responsible. He was a motivated learner. He did everything to the best of his ability.”

She said German always came to school neatly dressed, and he always completed his homework assignments. He wanted to go to college, she said.

“He was a model student,” Brewington said.

“One of our little shining stars,” agreed Principal Floyd Cottam. “He’s going to be sorely missed.”

Crisis-intervention counselors were at the school Wednesday to help students deal with the tragedy, Cottam said.

Manzo’s boss and co-workers were stunned and disbelieving, said David Burkin, owner of the Four ‘n 20 restaurant where Manzo had worked as a baker for 15 years.

“He was an excellent employee. He was never late and he was never sick,” Burkin said. “Miguel Manzo was a good person. I don’t know what happened.”

He said Manzo was dedicated to his sons. “He lived to see his kids and be with his kids.” Maria, Burkin said, was Manzo’s true love.

“This was his first love, and last. I think his only love, to be honest with you,” he said.

Coffey said Manzo had been living in Pacoima with a cousin since his marriage broke up.

Although Garcia said her husband had abused her--once so badly that she was hospitalized--he had no criminal record, Coffey said.

Maritza Salgado, manager of the apartment complex where Garcia had lived with her two boys since October, 1991, said Manzo often visited his sons. He was friendly with the neighbors, she said.

“Everybody was friends with him. He always said good morning because of the children,” she said.

But, she said, what Manzo did was unforgivable.

Even if his problems with his former wife were overwhelming, she said, “he shouldn’t have touched the children. They haven’t lived. They don’t know what life is yet.”