Montebello jail official arrested in fatal shooting of his children’s mother at custody exchange

An administrator at the Montebello Police Department’s jail has been arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting the mother of his two children and wounding another man in South Whittier during a child custody exchange, authorities said Sunday.

Efrem Ruben Lozoya, 38, turned himself in to police shortly after the shooting 11:07 a.m. Saturday and was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

Nereida Villanueva, 33, died at the scene of the shooting on the 13900 block of Coteau Drive in the unincorporated community of South Whittier, said Rudy Molano, an investigator with the county coroner’s office.

Lozoya and Villanueva were “involved in a child exchange” when Lozoya shot her and the male victim “for unknown reasons,” Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Rouzan said.

Lozoya and Villanueva were estranged and have two children together, ages 7 and 9, Rouzan said. The children were not injured and it was “unclear if the children witnessed any portions of this crime,” he said.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived they found that Villanueva and the male victim had both been shot at least once in the upper torso. Villanueva was pronounced dead at the scene.

The male victim was transported to the hospital. His condition is unknown and his identity has not been released.

Lozoya was arrested 5 p.m. Saturday and booked at the Norwalk sheriff’s station. He is being held at Men’s Central Jail and his bail is set at $2 million, according to sheriff’s booking records.

Sheriff’s officials said Lozoya is employed by a contractor that provides jail services to the Montebello Police Department.

The Montebello City Jail is operated by the GEO Group Inc., a private correctional firm, under the oversight of the police department, according to the city’s website. It has a 20-bed capacity.

Past media reports and a 2015 audit of the facility available at the GEO Group’s website identify Lozoya as the jail’s administrator.

The city’s jail referred inquiries to a Montebello Police Department watch commander, who declined to comment and referred all questions to the county Sheriff’s Department.

tony.barboza@latimes.com

@tonybarboza