WORCESTER — A 48-year-old Worcester man shot and killed his ex-girlfriend in front of a Main South grocery store last night and then went to his nearby apartment and killed himself, police said.
Investigators were told by witnesses that a man fitting the description of Jose Soto of 1 Sycamore St. waited for Belinda Torres, 40, of Worcester to leave the Compare Foods grocery at 664 Main St. and then shot her twice in the head.
Court records show that Ms. Torres had an active restraining order against Mr. Soto. The order was issued in December and was to expire in a year. She filed the report after her boyfriend assaulted her and chastised her for dating other men, court records show.
He threatened to kill her if he saw her with another man, according to court records. She told authorities that Mr. Soto had mental health problems.
When seeking the restraining order, she told authorities that Mr. Soto did not have access to a gun.
Police, responding to a report of a shooting, found Ms. Torres lying on the sidewalk about 6:45 p.m. The victim, after initial treatment by paramedics, was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus, where she was pronounced dead about a half an hour later.
Witnesses told police that the man involved in the shooting entered the apartment building at 1 Sycamore St.
Police, including members of the Special Weapons and Tactical Team, went to the house and surrounded it.
Detectives, meanwhile, learned that Ms. Torres' ex-boyfriend, Mr. Soto, lived in the building.
After obtaining a search warrant, they found Mr. Soto dead about 10:45 p.m., with what they determined was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A gun was found nearby.
Police are continuing to investigate the shootings.
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