Victims and Suspect in Fatal Shooting Near San Diego Courthouse Have Been Identified
A police officer wounded in the incident was taken to a trauma center for treatment of a bullet wound to his hip.
SAN DIEGO—Authorities Thursday publicly identified a married couple who were fatally shot this week near the downtown San Diego County courthouse and the man—a former boyfriend of the woman’s—who allegedly gunned them down before being killed in a law enforcement shootout.
Rachael Martinez, 31, and her 39-year-old husband, Jose Medina, were seated in a car in the 1300 block of Union Street in the Core-Columbia district when Christopher Farrell, 26, allegedly opened fire on them with a pistol shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).
Farrell then allegedly fled to the north on Ash Street, reloading his gun as he went, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
Martinez and Medina died at the scene of the shooting.
About 45 minutes later, as a police helicopter circled overhead broadcasting a description of the shooter over a loudspeaker system, a bystander flagged down personnel with the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department in the area of Kettner Boulevard and West Juniper Street in Little Italy and directed them to a possible suspect.
As four harbor officers approached Farrell—who was behind large electrical box, seemingly intending to use it as a shield—he allegedly opened fire, wounding one of them and sending two rounds into a harbor police patrol car, according to police.
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Two of the officers then returned fire, mortally wounding Farrell.
“The entire incident, from the time officers addressed Farrell to the shooting, lasted less than a minute and a half,” Campbell said.
Paramedics took Farrell to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The wounded officer, whose name has not been released, was taken to a trauma center for treatment of a bullet wound to his hip. He remained under medical care Thursday and was expected to survive.
The injured lawman, who did not fire his gun during the shootout, has been employed by the harbor police agency since September and was taking part in field training when the exchange of gunfire erupted, officials said. He previously had worked for the SDPD for about a year, according to Campbell.
At the spot where Farrell allegedly fired on the officers, detectives found a semiautomatic handgun, shell casings, folding knives, and an empty ammunition magazine on the ground, the lieutenant said. During the fatal encounter, the suspect had a knife sheath on the belt of his pants and three more magazines clipped to one of his pants’ pockets, according to police.
Authorities have determined that the slain woman had filed a police report last week accusing Farrell of domestic violence, including false imprisonment and sex crimes, Campbell said.
Investigating officers subsequently contacted Farrell, a security guard who worked for a company that contracts with San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, at an MTS office at 1600 Newton Avenue in Barrio Logan and arrested him.
“Farrell was terminated from employment at that same time, and his work firearm was taken from him,” Campbell said.
Last Thursday, Martinez was granted a temporary restraining order against Farrell, though it remains unclear if he was ever served with it. A hearing in the case was scheduled for the day of the double homicide, according to police.
“It appears likely that Martinez and Medina had arrived near the courthouse for the purpose of attending the restraining-order hearing,” Campbell said.
