Fireman Held in Slaying

A Los Angeles County firefighter has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife’s ex-boyfriend after a heated argument in the suspect’s Simi Valley home, police said Thursday.

William Oney, 29, was booked on suspicion of murder late Wednesday in the shooting death of Todd Michael Thies, 31, a Simi Valley construction worker. Thies was shot once in the head at close range with a .45-caliber handgun.

Oney remains in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail at Ventura County Jail.

The death was the sixth homicide in Simi Valley this year and the second in less than a week.

Before the shooting, Thies and Oney were arguing over child custody issues involving Thies and Oney’s wife, Heidi, said Lt. Rex Jones. Thies shared custody of his 4-year-old son with Heidi Oney, 28.

According to sources, Oney told investigators he acted in self-defense. No weapon was recovered from the victim.

The shooting occurred Wednesday about 7:30 p.m., when neighbors of the Oneys reported hearing a woman scream and the sound of a single gunshot coming from the family’s home in the 3100 block of Waco Drive.

Thies had arrived a short time earlier to pick up his son, and an argument had erupted between the two men, police said.

Heidi Oney called 911 to report the dispute when the shot was fired, officials said.

Thies died at the scene, Jones said. Witnesses said Oney walked out of the house with his hands above his head before surrendering.

On Thursday, Heidi Oney, accompanied by two friends, was at her home, collecting her mail and picking up the morning newspaper. She declined comment.

About two miles away on Elmsdale Avenue at the home of Thies’ parents, Carol and Michael, friends and relatives offered condolences.

Michael Thies said he maintained a close relationship with his son. “We’re going through a lot of pain right now,” he said.

Mayor Bill Davis said this shooting would challenge Simi Valley’s reputation as one of the safest cities in the nation.

“I thought, ‘There goes our safest city title,’ ” Davis said.

Federal authorities regularly rank Simi Valley as one of the safest cities--last year it had the country’s lowest crime rate for a city of more than 100,000 people.