Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Leesburg, IN: Woman dies after shot by ex husband in Leesburg convenience store

Police say a woman now identified as Luselva Saavedra, who was shot by ex husband Ruben Saavedra Monday morning in Leesburg, has died.

It started after 35-year-old Luselva was shot at Katie's Kwikmart, 100 N. Main Street. It ended when Ruben, also 35 years old, shot himself in the head on the campus of Ivy Tech in Warsaw.

According to a WSBT reporter at the scene, police say this stemmed from a domestic dispute. The couple was divorced but lived in seperate trailers on the same property in Milford.

"I had a bad feeling like something was wrong. I wanted to help her," said Kwikmart employee Amber Hawthorne.

Hawthorn was working when Luselva ran into the store begging for help.

"The next thing I know, there is a gentleman coming into the store arguing with her,” said Hawthorn. “He said, ‘You come with me now.’ She said, ‘No. I'm not going anywhere with you.’"

That's when things turned dangerous. Surveillance video from the store shows an angry Ruben chasing Luselva into the store. Hawthorne grabs her coat and pepper spray and the two women hide behind the counter.

Luselva couldn't get behind the counter. He pulled out a gun and shot his his ex wife in the shoulder/arm area.

"He said, ‘Let's go. And she said ‘No.’ And as I was crossing behind her he shot her. She hit the floor. So I went to her to see if she was okay. She wasn't responding."

Ruben ran out of the store and drove away in a red truck. Police began looking for that truck. They found it a few miles away at Ivy Tech in Warsaw.

"As other officers arrived the approached the vehicle and heard a shot fired," said Chad Hill with the Kosiusko County Sheriff's Department.

Ruben had shot himself in the head, say police.

Hawthorne is thankful she wasn't harmed.

"It was scary, very scary," she said.

Luselva was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne. She later passed away.

According to police, Ruben had no connection to Ivy Tech. For a while this morning Ivy Tech's campus was closed as police investigated. It has since reopened and classes should continue as normal this afternoon.

Police are investigating the events that led to this shooting.

Stay with us for updates.

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