Cordova Park District Reopens; Staff Relieved Murder Suspect In Custody

RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) — The Cordova Recreation and Park District office was back open on Wednesday and employees expressed relief that the suspect in cold-blooded killing of the park superintendent is behind bars.

"It's a great relief to our staff," said Doug Critchfield, interim district administrator.

Employees are relieved former district employee Dupree Barber is in custody. Barber is accused of gunning down his former boss, Steven Ebert, early Monday morning as he arrived to work in his SUV.

Investigators say after the shooting Barber was on the run, possibly hiding out at an apartment complex within just walking distance from where Ebert was killed.

Neighbors tell CBS13 Barber was active and very noisy the night of the murder, up in his apartment pacing back and forth.

The next day Barber turned himself in and was booked into the Sacramento County jail. On Wednesday, district employees were still escorted to their vehicles by police.

"I don't want to take any chances," district board chairman Rick Sloan said. "Every time I left the district I looked at car doors. A car pulled in and nobody got out of it, and that was alarming to me."

District employees are still stunned.

"People need to talk about it," Critchfield said

"People are holding a lot of things in," Sloan said. "We have a healing to do, a lot of recovery from this. It's going to take us a long time."