Man Barricaded in Home Kills Himself

A man who had been ordered less than two months ago to stay away from his estranged wife returned to her home early Tuesday and threatened to kill her, but shot and killed himself after police surrounded the house, officials said.

Rodolfo Torres Aldarran, 28, was found dead in a bedroom when the SWAT team entered about 6:40 a.m. He had a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.

A 911 call from Aldarran’s estranged wife, whose name was not released, was cut short about 2 a.m. after she had managed only to tell a dispatcher that her husband was going to kill her, Westminster Police Sgt. David McDowell said. Officers responded to the house in the 8700 block of Natoma Avenue and found Aldarran outside, holding a shotgun and a handgun. Then he ran inside, McDowell said.

The woman, her father and the couple’s child quickly escaped unharmed, leaving Aldarran inside with two nephews, ages 10 and 12. The boys had no contact with Aldarran and stayed in a bedroom with the door locked, McDowell said.

“It doesn’t look like [Aldarran] even knew the kids were in there,” he said. “He probably didn’t. The boys were smart to hide and be quiet.”

Less than 10 minutes after police arrived, a single gunshot was heard from the house. Ten surrounding homes were evacuated and members of the SWAT team tried several times to make contact with Aldarran by phone, McDowell said.

The boys “made a break for it” about 4:30 a.m., climbing out of the bedroom window, McDowell said. Still unable to reach Aldarran by phone, the SWAT team burst into the home two hours later, about 6:40 a.m.

“We were very, very lucky,” McDowell said. “We had the potential for five other people to be killed besides him. It could have easily turned into a hostage situation with a completely different ending.”

Police said Aldarran was arrested in May at the same house after officers responded to a domestic violence call.

Aldarran’s wife asked a judge for a restraining order, which has been in effect since, McDowell said.