Gunman Kills 3 in Simi Valley Home, Then Flees

A gunman who apparently knew his victims walked into a Simi Valley home Wednesday and opened fire throughout the house, killing a grandmother and two young children and injuring three others.

Those killed were Espiranza Martinez, age not given; Ricardo Calderon, 12; and Chantel Rios, 5, police said late Wednesday. Martinez was Calderon’s grandmother.

Those injured were a 19-year-old woman who was shot in the chest; a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the thigh; and an 18-year old youth who broke a wrist while trying to escape.

Police late Wednesday named Reynaldo Herrera Rodriguez, 35, as a suspect. They believe he sped from the six-bedroom home in a rented blue 2002 Ford Explorer after the shooting. Police said it was possible that the gunman was a former boyfriend of one of the women in the house.

“He did have a relationship somehow to one of the victims inside the house,” said Simi Valley Police Lt. Rex Jones.

A high-ranking Simi Valley official also said police believe Rodriguez may have set fire to his own home in Thousand Oaks before driving to the home on Yurok Court in Simi Valley where the shootings took place.

Outside Rodriguez’s home on Teasdale Street, dozens of neighbors talked about the afternoon fire and the slaying suspect.

“He was very friendly,” said Charles Louis, who lives two doors down. “Always had a smile, always had a wave.”

Ventura County fire officials said they responded to a call reporting smoke at the single-story home at about 3:30 p.m. The flames were quickly doused and damage was limited to the inside of the house.

At about 4 p.m., the gunman entered the Simi Valley house with a handgun. The victims were found throughout the house, police said. The home is owned by Ana and Rafael Calderon, who were not there at the time.

The wounded woman, Lucia Vargas, and the 16-year-old boy, Rigoberto Calderon, were taken to Simi Valley Hospital. Both were in stable condition late Wednesday, hospital officials said.

The 18-year-old, Rafael Calderon Jr., was released after being being treated for bruises and a broken wrist at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

The Calderons shared their home with their five children, a granddaughter and Martinez.

The Calderons are well known in the Montaire neighborhood, which is perched on a bluff at Simi Valley’s eastern end. Their brown-tiled $500,000 home is in one of the quietest neighborhoods in what has been termed America’s safest large city, police said.

In May, FBI statistics showed Simi Valley to be the safest city in the nation among communities with at least 100,000 residents. The rankings are based on a ratio of population to serious crime.

According to neighbors, the Calderons had three sons--ages 12, 16 and 18--two adult daughters and a 5-year-old grandchild.

Neighbors said the couple are hard-working and well-respected. Ana Calderon runs a cleaning business and her husband owns a machine shop, they said.

“They were a close-knit family, very traditional and very, very nice,” said next-door neighbor Paul Morales, who had shared dinner with the Calderons the night before. “We just hung out. We were just there talking to the kids.

“These were good kids,” he added. “They played video games and soccer and basketball. I would ride my bike through the neighborhood with them.”

Neighbor Peggy Pratts said the Calderons are a great family.

“You’re walking, it’s ‘Can I get you a glass of water to finish your last lap?’ They would have opened the door for anybody,” she said.

The Calderons often invited neighbors over for barbecues. Their children skateboarded with other kids and swam in their neighbors’ backyard pools.

After the killings, residents stood in the street, some crying.

Simi Valley, despite its reputation for safety, has been plagued by violence and death this summer.

In late July, police arrested Vincent Sanchez, a 30-year-old handyman charged with serial rapes in Simi Valley and the slaying of student Megan Barroso.

In June, off-duty Los Angeles Rampart Division Police Officer Geno Patrick Colello, 35, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend outside the man’s Simi Valley home, then took his own life.

Simi Valley Councilman Glen Becerra said it was hard to fathom Wednesday’s tragedy.

“This is something we’re not used to seeing in our community, and I hope it’s something we never get used to seeing,” he said. “Even in the safest city in America--terrible things can happen. You pray that they don’t, but they can.”

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Times staff writers Fred Alvarez, Steve Chawkins, Jenifer Ragland, David Kelly, Matt Surman, Margaret Talev and Tracy Wilson contributed to this story.