Two brothers held in slayings of three in-laws

Two brothers were in custody Friday after gunfire erupted at their relatives’ Thanksgiving dinner, leaving the suspects’ sister-in-law, her brother and her mother dead.

Asmerom Gebreselassie, 43, and Temodros Gebreselassie, 39, were arrested Thursday after allegedly opening fire in an apartment at the Keller Plaza apartment complex in north Oakland.

The men were booked on suspicion of three counts of murder.

The victims were identified as Winta T. Mehari, 28, of Berkeley; her mother, Regba Baharengasi, 50, of Oakland; and her brother, Yonas Mehari, 17. A second brother was badly injured when he jumped out a window to escape and a third was hurt fighting with the gunmen.

The family was originally from Asmara, Eritrea, and had lived in the U.S. about five years.

Police and family members said the shootings were in retaliation for the March death of the men’s brother, 42-year-old Abraham Gebreselassie, who was married to Winta Mehari.

Her family believes her husband died of a heart attack. A spokesman for the coroner’s office said an autopsy failed to reveal a specific cause of death, compounding the brothers’ concerns.

“The story didn’t add up for the death of their brother,” Officer Roland Holmgren said of the suspected gunmen.