Lucero Luna, an 11-year-old South Valley Middle School student whom neighbors describe as a “kindhearted,” “sweet little girl,” was shot in the head Wednesday night by her brother, 27-year-old Abel Gutierrez, an Iraqi war veteran – who then turned the gun on himself, according to the Gilroy Police Department and neighbors who knew Lucero and her mother Martha Gutierrez, 52.
Gilroy police are actively searching for the mother, who police believe is critically injured or deceased, based on forensic evidence at the scene.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Gutierrez is still missing and a memo has been sent out statewide to other law enforcement agencies, according to GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao. Police are requesting help from the public as they race to determine Gutierrez’s whereabouts, Gallacinao said.
Gallacinao said police are “desperately trying to find” Gutierrez, whom they believe may require “immediate medical attention.”
Police responded to the murder-suicide about 9 p.m. Wednesday inside apartment 201 at Redwood Apartments near Mantelli Drive in northwest Gilroy, according to Sgt. Gallacinao. Two adult roommates live with the family and one called the police after they suspected “something was wrong,” according to Gallacinao. Neighbors say the bodies of Lucero and Abel were discovered in the bathroom by the two roommates, who rented one of the bedrooms. Abel slept on the couch, neighbors say.
Once medical personnel were called to the scene, they confirmed that Lucero and Abel were dead.
There were several firearms used in the shooting, according to Gallacinao, though he would not reveal details on the types of firearms at this time.
Gallacinao said the police are “searching everywhere,” for Gutierrez, but said he would not comment any further about where she might be.
Residents at Redwood are still reeling and confused following Wednesday night’s discovery of Lucero and her older brother Abel, who police say was an Iraqi war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Neighbors say Abel, who “just got out of” the Army and was living with his mother and younger sister Lucero, was struggling with depression.
“He wasn’t mentally fit,” said Mario Reyes, whose 6-year-old daughter Evenny was good friends with Lucero. “He smoked pot because he was depressed.”
Gallacinao said GPD has been to the Gutierrez’s apartment in the past because his family was concerned about his mental health and that he suffered from PTSD. Police had actually coordinated with Veterans Affairs to get Gutierrez help, though it is unknown what came of those efforts.
Reyes, 27, and his wife Alissa Fernandez, 25, have lived in the apartment complex below Lucero for eight years. The two sat outside their apartment in their pajamas Thursday morning, visibly shaken and holding back tears as they pieced together the evening’s surreal string of events.
Reyes saw Lucero earlier Wednesday when she came downstairs to borrow a pizza cooking sheet. Later, about 1:30 p.m., Reyes said he heard a “thumping” sound from upstairs that sounded like “something dropped.” Having lived on the bottom floor apartment for a long time however, Reyes said he was used to hearing noises from upstairs and didn’t suspect anything.
Reyes and his wife Alissa say two roommates between the ages of 30 and 40 – whose names they do not know – also lived in the two-bedroom apartment upstairs. The two roommates came home sometime Wednesday evening, according to Reyes. About a half hour later, they noticed the bathroom door was open a crack and pushed it open all the way. That’s when they discovered the bodies of Abel and Lucero, Reyes said. Law enforcement was called to the scene shortly after.
Covering his mouth with one hand and choking back tears, Reyes motioned to Lucero’s bike parked in the downstairs foyer of the apartment. Lucero and Evenny would play together every day, Reyes said.
“She was kind of in shock … then it sunk in a few minutes later because she started to cry,” said Reyes, of having to break the news to his daughter.
GPD has contacted the Gilroy Unified School District about the tragedy.
“We’re in constant contact with them about this. It will affect classmates, friends,” Gallacinao said.
Standing amid other watchful residents outside the apartments Thursday morning, a woman named Emily who would not give her last name described Lucero as “the best little girl in the world.”
“There was no reason to hurt her or get mad at her,” she continued.
Emily, who recently moved to Los Banos after living in the Redwood Apartments for four years, echoed Reyes when she described Abel as someone who “wasn’t sociable.”
Emily said she felt uneasy around Abel from the start.
Describing the community at Redwood as a place where residents band together like a family and always watch out for each other, Emily said she drove straight to Gilroy Thursday morning when she heard the news from her mother, who still resides at Redwood.
“You see this?” said Emily, pointing to a cluster of children playing together nearby. “This is every day. And Lucero was a part of it every day … all these kids here are best friends … they haven’t seen proof that (Lucero) is gone … I bet they’re still waiting for her to walk out that door.”
A couple of neighbors noted that parents who live at Redwood Apartments are keeping their children home from school today.
The investigation remains “very active” at this time. The Gilroy Police Department is urging anyone with information regarding this case, or the whereabouts of Martha Gutierrez, to contact Detective Michael Bolton at (408) 846-0350. Parties wishing to remain anonymous may call We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463.
