The victims of a double homicide that occurred Wednesday morning in downtown San Diego were a husband and wife shot by a man who had been accused of domestic violence and sex crimes against the woman, police said Thursday.
The couple, identified by San Diego police as Rachael Martinez, 31, and Jose Medina, 39, were shot while they were sitting in a vehicle on Union Street, a few blocks north of the San Diego Central Courthouse.
The suspect, Christopher Farrell, 26, fled from the scene but was located by police about a mile away in Little Italy, where he allegedly fired at officers, striking a Harbor Police officer, before he was fatally shot by San Diego police.
The Harbor Police officer, whose name has not been released, underwent surgery Wednesday and was recovering.
Martinez had had a prior relationship with Farrell, but on Oct. 4 she filed a report with the San Diego Police Department alleging domestic violence, including false imprisonment and sex crimes, police Lt. Daniel Meyer said Thursday in a release.
“The investigating officers obtained an emergency protective order,” Meyer said.
The same day, officers located Farrell at a Metropolitan Transit System office in Barrio Logan where he worked as a security guard with Inter-Con Security, police said.
Farrell was fired, and his work firearm was confiscated. He was booked into San Diego County Jail.
However, as the investigation continued, “the case had insufficient evidence and corroboration to immediately move forward,” Meyer said.
On Oct. 7 Martinez was granted a temporary restraining order against Farrell, Meyer said. It was unclear at the time of the shooting if Farrell had been served with the restraining order.
According to court records, a hearing regarding the restraining order was scheduled for Wednesday.
“It appears likely that Martinez and Medina had arrived near the courthouse for the purpose of attending the restraining order hearing,” Meyer said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, as is the police shooting that killed Farrell.
Farrell had fled the downtown homicide scene on foot, police said, and reloaded his weapon. A passerby spotted Farrell ducking behind an electrical box near Juniper Street and Kettner Boulevard and reported the man to Harbor Police officers who were nearby.
Farrell fired at the Harbor Police officers as they approached him, Meyer said, striking one in the hip.
Two Harbor Police officers fired their weapons at Farrell, who was struck multiple times, police said.
He was transported to a hospital but died.
Investigators located multiple folding knives, a handgun and multiple magazines at the scene.
The wounded officer, who did not open fire, is continuing to recover, Harbor Police Chief Magda Fernandez said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Fernandez said “his family are grateful for the support they are receiving and respectfully request privacy at this time as they process and begin healing from this traumatic incident.”
The officer had previously been employed with the San Diego Police Department but was hired onto the Harbor Police force in September, Meyer said.
The names of the officers who opened fire on Farrell also have not been released, but San Diego police officials said they 6- and 9-year veterans of the department.
By Thursday afternoon, a small memorial of candles, flowers and offerings of water and fruit had appeared on Union Street.
The candles had been lit.
