Son Held in Fatal Shooting of Parents, Man

A man is suspected of shooting his mother, father--a Los Angeles police officer--and another man to death in front of a Highland Park home Wednesday, police said.

Los Angeles police said that when Northeast division patrol officers responded to a report of gunshots at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of North Avenue 64, they found the suspect, Mark Elkins, standing in the doorway of his house and three bodies sprawled before him.

Elkins, who was on the phone, “indicated that his parents had been shot” and was taken into custody, police spokesman Sgt. William Guerrero said.

The victims were: LAPD Officer John Elkins, 58, a 26-year veteran of the force who worked front desk security at Parker Center, his wife, Gloria Elkins, 58, and Douglas Bowles, 33, of Los Angeles.

Neighbors reported hearing a woman scream Wednesday morning and what sounded like four shotgun blasts.

Rene Montijo said he was driving down the street when he heard the gunshots and saw the suspect fire at someone on the ground. Police arrived almost immediately and Elkins surrendered without incident.

Neighbors said Elkins, who is in his early 20s, often acted strangely.

He would lie in the front yard in his underwear when it rained, curse at people driving by and stand in the doorway waving a saw blade, they said.

He played loud rock music, warned that the world was ending during this winter’s windstorms, and shouted at people when he walked through a nearby park, neighbors said.

“We just stayed away from him,” said Jesse Garcia, adding that he had seen Elkins chasing his father with a shovel a few months ago. It was unclear if Mark Elkins lived alone, but neighbors said his parents were frequently at the house.