2 dead in San Clemente boutique after shooting; investigation underway

ByFrancine Rios and Amy Powell KABC logo
Saturday, October 25, 2014
2 dead in San Clemente boutique after shooting
A man and a woman were found dead inside a boutique in San Clemente after reports of a shooting, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man and a woman were found dead after a shooting inside a boutique in San Clemente on Saturday, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.[br /][br /]Authorities confirmed the incident was being investigated as a murder-suicide.[br /][br /]According to authorities, an employee reported the shooting shortly after 2 p.m. Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to Bliss Boutique, located in the 100 block of Avenida Del Mar, and set up a perimeter. [br /][br /]About 40 minutes later, deputies made entry into the business, and called in SWAT. [br /][br /]There is no outstanding suspect and no one in custody, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said. A gun was recovered inside the shop. No other details were immediately available.[br /][br /]The coroner identified the woman, who owned the shop, as Cynthia Jean Rosier, 64, and the alleged gunman as her 59-year-old husband John Patrick Dillard. [br /][br /]Investigators believe Dillard entered the boutique with a handgun, shot and killed Rosier before turning the weapon on himself. [br /][br /][post ID="365886" /][br /][br /]The employee who called 911 was able to leave out the back door, authorities said. [br /][br /]According to one witness, a worker came running out of the shop after the gunfire erupted.[br /][br /]"The girl who was working at Bliss came running out and yelled that there were six shots fired, and that her boss was grabbed and taken in the back room by her husband, and they were in an ugly divorce...I walked in to see if my wife and daughter were inside and they were not. It was very quiet," said Jeff Chambers.[br /][br /]According to friends, the boutique owner and her husband were in the process of divorcing. [br /][br /]The investigation prompted closures at Avenida Del Mar and Ola Vista. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff's Department at (714) 647-7000.[/i][br /][br /]