Victims identified in Pomona apartment complex double shooting
Two people were killed in a shooting at a Pomona apartment complex on Thursday afternoon.
The Pomona Police Department said the shooting happened at 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Monterey Avenue and Garey Avenue. Officers located the victims, a man and a woman, in a hallway of one of the apartment buildings.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department tried to treat the victims, but they were ultimately pronounced dead.
Pomona PD identified the suspect as 48-year-old resident Robert Galtman.
After receiving a description of his vehicle, the California Highway Patrol spotted Galtman driving through Pomona and the San Fernando Valley. Officers tried to pull him over, but he refused to stop near Castaic Lake.
He led officers on an hours-long pursuit through the area. Galtman ultimately surrendered at 7:10 p.m. after police disabled his vehicle with a spike strip and PIT maneuver.
The victims' identities have been withheld pending verification and notification of next of kin. Neighbors told CBS LA that they recognized the woman who was killed in the shooting and the suspect, but were unsure who the second victim was.
"The police told me that I couldn't go in the hallway. He told me to take the stairs, and I peeked to my right and it was blocked off," said Emmanuel Guzman. "Whatever happened, happened in the hallway. ... My wife said she saw what looked like a body bag outside of our peephole."
Family members identified the woman killed in the incident as 25-year-old Veronica Lopez. They said that she lived in San Diego and had been in a relationship with Galtman for about two years, despite their repeated requests that she should leave him.
"She was our fifth daughter. Very beautiful, very young, very talented," said her father, Coby Lopez. "She used to be a pro skater, had so much positives going in her life. I don't know what kind of problems she was going through, but we tried to help her. ... So young, taken out by a coward."
"I know she didn't deserve to get murdered. She's an innocent young girl; a grown man murdered my sister," said Klarissa Lopez, the victim's sister.
The Lopez family said that they didn't know Lopez had been killed until they saw news coverage of Galtman's arrest, which included footage of Veronica's dog. They contacted police, who brought them to the apartment complex, where they said Galtman was living.
"She didn't deserve this. She definitely didn't deserve this," said Lopez's mother, Sheila. "All the young women need to know about this, do not be in an abusive relationship. Get out."
They said that she loved the San Francisco 49ers, skateboarding and had a vibrancy for life.
Family members of the other victim identified him as 48-year-old Richard Brady, who leaves behind a 14-year-old son.
'He was the one to call if you needed something. From what I gathered, he was helping a girl out of an abusive situation," said Heather Cantu, the mother of Brady's child. "I just hope my son can recover from this knowing his dad was a good man."
Pomona PD's Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation. Detectives urged anyone with information related to the shooting to contact the department's Detective Bureau at (909) 620-2085.
