Two found dead in apparent murder-suicide at Hawthorne hotel, police say

A man apparently shot his elderly mother to death and then turned the gun on himself Friday afternoon at the Candlewood Suites hotel in Hawthorne, police said.

Hawthorne police officers summoned by hotel staff discovered two bodies and a note indicating the deaths were a murder-suicide, Lt. Gil Sanchez said. The victims had suffered a single gunshot each, Sanchez said, calling it a tragic incident.

The victims’ names and ages were not released. Sanchez said that the mother and son had been staying at the hotel for a couple of weeks, and that she appeared to be in a convalescent condition.

Police arrived at the scene about 3 p.m. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office also is investigating the deaths.