Woman shot to death by estranged husband in Koreatown, police say

KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A woman was shot to death in Koreatown, and the suspected shooter, her estranged husband, has died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound, police said.

Los Angeles police received a report of shots fired at the 3300 block of James M. Wood Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m. on Friday.

Responding officers found a woman, later identified as 39-year-old Gladis Maribel Sicajan of Los Angeles, with a gunshot wound in a car.

Sicajan, a mother of three, was taken to a local hospital where she died.

LAPD said Sicajan had gotten into her car to head to work when her estranged husband, 35-year-old Jorge Martinez, walked up to her vehicle and opened fire.

A neighbor said she heard screams, then two shots. Witnesses called LAPD and gave them a description of Martinez who was running from the scene.

LAPD received another call 20 minutes later about shots fired approximately five blocks away at Harvard Boulevard, south of Wilshire Boulevard.

That's where officers found a man fitting Martinez's description. Police said Martinez shot himself in an apparent attempt to take his own life.

He was found on the sidewalk in front of a parking structure and rushed to the hospital where he died hours later. Investigators said the couple has a record of prior domestic violence issues.

"Once we ran the name and put two and two together, we determined that these two individuals were previously involved in a relationship and had a history of domestic violence," LAPD Capt. Vito Palazzolo said.

Investigators learned Sicajan had been living in fear of Martinez, who was in court on Thursday for a status hearing after completing 37 out of 52 counseling sessions for domestic violence.

Documents obtained by ABC7 indicate Martinez had a court order to stay away from Sicajan. Police said their investigation continues.