WICHITA — Valentin Vega-Soto may have been under the influence of methamphetamine — or other drugs — when he kicked in the door to his ex-girlfriend's house early Thursday morning in southwest Wichita and shot her, her two young girls and her mother-in-law, police said today.
Vega-Soto, 36, then turned the gun on himself in the hallway next to the girls' bedroom door at 2314 S. Stoney Point, south of Kellogg and west of Maize Road, Lt. Ken Landwehr said.
Reimy Rivera, 6, was killed by multiple shots from Vega-Soto's large caliber handgun, Landwehr said. Her older sister, 9-year-old Dayanara Rivera, is in "very guarded" condition and on a ventilator at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis, he said.
"She has improved," Landwehr said of the wounded child, who has occasionally awakened and been responsive in the hospital.
Her mother and grandmother, identified in police records as Gloria Morales, 30, and Elana Demeritus, 56, are both expected to survive their injuries, he said.
Vega-Soto fired at least nine shots during his rampage, Landwehr said, which began just after 3:20 a.m. He had called Morales at about 11 p.m. the previous night and threatened to come over and kill them all, police have said.
He arrived a little more than four hours later in his beige Cadillac Escalade, blocking the driveway of the house.
Demeritus was his first target, Landwehr said. She was shot several times, including at least once in her chest.
Vega-Soto then shot Morales once in the leg. He then went to the bedroom shared by the young girls and shot each of them several times in their beds, before turning the gun on himself.
Morales' 38-year-old brother was asleep in the basement when Vega-Soto arrived. By the time he came upstairs to see what had happened, Landwehr said, it was all over.
Investigators aren't sure yet of Vega-Soto's motive, Landwehr said.
Morales and Vega-Soto met about two months ago and began dating — including going to Disneyland with Reimy and Dayanara — but the relationship ended soon after their return, police have said.
Vega-Soto, who worked in construction, stayed for a while at a house at 832 S. Richmond owned by Morales, Landwehr said today. At the time of the shooting, however, he was living in a hotel on North Broadway.
Investigators found about an ounce of meth in Vega-Soto's SUV after the shooting, Landwehr said. A toxicology screen is being conducted to see if he was under the influence of meth or other substances at the time of the shooting.
He did not appear to be impaired when he spoke to police officers in the parking lot of St. Francis shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Landwehr said. He had called 911 to report that he thought two men were following him, and at least one of them was armed.
Officers found him and talked to him in the hospital parking lot, Landwehr said, but found no evidence to support his claim.
Investigators hope to talk to the grandmother today to learn more about the events surrounding the shooting, he said.
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