2 dead at Hemet mobile home park; search for suspect

HEMET, Calif. (KABC) -- A man and a woman in their 60s were found dead at a Hemet mobile home park Thursday morning. A person linked to the crime was in custody.

Authorities say the victims were found dead at the Hemet West Mobile Estates in the 5000 block of West Florida Avenue at 8:05 a.m. The victims' names were not released.

Rancho Viejo Middle School and Tahquitz High School were placed on lockdown, as police searched for a suspect. The lockdown has since been lifted.

Neighbor Joe Diaz says he heard the shots.

"It kind of blew me away, you know, this is a nice quiet community, we're not supposed to have this kind of stuff," Diaz said. "I walked outside and I heard bang, bang, bang, bang and then a couple seconds later, bang, bang, bang."

Patty Scarff says she knew the two victims.

"They were wonderful, they were the nicest people in the world, involved in a lot of activities," Scarff said. "She would decorate our little area on holidays with her ceramics, and he was active in the Homeowners Association and golf."

One witness said he saw the suspect flee the scene on a bicycle. Police put crime tape up around a set of dumpsters across the street from the mobile home park.

A bicycle was spotted nearby, but police wouldn't say whether it had anything to do with the suspected shooter.

"We have some evidence possibly there, we're still investigating that," Hemet police Lt. Eddie Pust said.

Police would not speculate on whether the gunman might have been a family member of the victims, but that's what many of the residents think. A suspect description was not immediately available.