Friday, August 26, 2011

San Diego, CA: Identities confirmed in El Cajon murder-suicide

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities confirmed Friday the identities of three people killed in last weekend's violence in El Cajon, where a police officer was shot and wounded and a house was burned to the ground.

The deceased were identified as 32-year-old Kevin Collier, his 14-month- old daughter, Rhilee Jean Collier, and his 51-year-old mother-in-law, Beverli Rakov.

All three died from gunshot wounds to the head, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported. Rakov and Rhilee's deaths were confirmed as homicides and Collier's death was ruled a suicide.

Collier texted friends that he had killed the child and his mother- in- law, El Cajon police said.

According to court records, Collier's wife, Alyssa, filed paperwork recently to end their year-and-a-half-long marriage and asked for custody of their daughter.

Police were called to a house in the 1000 block of Prince Street Sunday to investigate a report that a gunman had set the house on fire.

The gunman fired several shots at responding officers, striking Officer Jarred Slocum in the head, according to an El Cajon Police Department statement. The wounded officer's partner pulled him out of the line of fire with the help of a resident. Slocum remains hospitalized.

The residence became fully engulfed. Two bodies were later found in the debris. A child's body was found in a pickup truck.

The house burned to the ground despite water drops from helicopters, and neighboring homes were evacuated.

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