Man, Baby Daughter Dead After Shooting

A Whittier man on parole shot and killed his 14-month-old daughter and wounded her mother inside an Anaheim motel room early Saturday morning before turning the gun on himself, police said.

The shooter, 29-year-old Ijaz Hussain, died Saturday night after being transported to UCI Medical Center in Orange, Anaheim Sgt. Rich Raulston said. The girl’s mother was listed in critical condition at the hospital.

Detectives believe the violent outburst stemmed from a dispute between the parents, but the nature of the confrontation was not known.

Officers found the victims at the Parkway Inn on Beach Boulevard about 5:30 a.m. after Egla Hussain, 26, made a 911 call from their second-floor room.

She and her 14-month-old daughter, Jasmine, were taken to UCI Medical Center, where the girl died of her injuries Saturday night.

Anaheim police closed a portion of Beach Boulevard for 30 minutes while an emergency helicopter landed and later airlifted the shooter to the hospital, Anaheim Police Sgt. Joe Vargas said Saturday.

The couple and their child suffered wounds from a small-caliber handgun, he said.

The Whittier couple arrived at the motel Friday evening and planned to check out the next day, motel workers said. It was unclear why they were staying there.

The family did not arrive in a car.

Vargas said the couple has a history of domestic violence, and detectives were trying to confirm tips that Egla Hussain had taken out a restraining order against her husband in the past.

“We’re investigating this as an incidence of domestic violence,” Vargas said, noting that detectives do not suspect a third party is involved.

Vargas said the man was on parole, but he did not have the details of his criminal record Saturday night.

Police said they were still trying to figure out the status of the couple’s relationship.

“We don’t know whether they were living together at this time or what they were doing at the motel,” Vargas said.

“These are all questions we are trying to answer.”

Family members of both adults held vigils at the hospital Saturday night.

But officials reported friction between the two families.

“We’ve been spending our time going between the two families trying to keep the peace,” hospital spokeswoman Jean Necas said.

“It’s been a very difficult day.”

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Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.