Suicide by Suspect Confirmed

While relatives planned the funeral for a slain Simi Valley grandmother, her grandson and great-granddaughter, coroner’s officials confirmed Saturday that the suspected killer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Reynaldo Herrera Rodriguez, a 35-year-old Caltrans engineer from Thousand Oaks, was found dead near a Los Padres National Forest campground about 5 p.m. Friday. His 9-millimeter handgun was nearby, authorities said.

An autopsy performed Saturday morning determined that Rodriguez committed suicide, said Mike Feiler, a deputy coroner’s investigator.

The death came two days after police say he went on a shooting rampage inside the upscale Simi Valley home of a woman he casually dated during the last two years.

Simi Valley police believe that Rodriguez intended to kill Maria Calderon, 24, because she had ended their relationship. She was not at the Yurok Court residence when he arrived with a loaded gun about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Regardless, he allegedly shot five members of her family, killing her grandmother, a brother and her daughter and wounding another brother and sister. A third brother jumped to safety from a second-story window.

Killed were Esperanza Martinez, 80; Ricardo Calderon, 11; and Shantal Rios, 4. Lucia Vargas, 19, and her brother Rigoberto Calderon, 16, were shot but survived.

After the attack, police said, Rodriguez fled and eluded authorities for two days before U.S. Forest Service rangers spotted his rented blue 2002 Ford Explorer at Reyes Peak campground, several miles north of Ojai.

As Ventura County sheriff’s deputies approached the sport utility vehicle, Rodriguez jumped out of it and ran into the woods.

His body was found a short time later slumped behind a rock in a meadow.

On Saturday morning, relatives gathered at the Calderon home to mourn and share stories of their loved ones. Maria Calderon’s parents, Rafael and Ana Calderon, thanked neighbors and well-wishers for their concerns but declined further comment.

A rosary for the shooting victims was planned for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Simi Valley, with the funeral to follow at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the church, 1305 Royal Ave.

Arrangements for Rodriguez’s burial were still being made Saturday by his father and brother, both of Thousand Oaks. They planned to meet with an Oxnard funeral director Saturday night, Feiler said.