An Illinois woman, who was hopelessly trying to leave her marriage, was killed Friday along with with her two children by her estranged husband.
Carlos Gomez, 44, shot his estranged wife, Lupe Gomez, 43, and two of his stepchildren, Briana Rodriguez, 22, and Emilio Rodriguez, 20, outside their home in Oak Forest.
Carlos then barricaded himself inside their home and set the house on fire, sending loud popping noises throughout the neighborhood as 10-foot high flames engulfed the home.
Neighbor Brad Weert said, “You could hear the loud sounds of gunshots and then the crackling of wood from the fire after the house was engulfed in flames.”
After firefighters were able to put out the fire, authorities discovered Carlos inside, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
Carlos’s death was ruled a suicide, according to the medical examiner’s office. The other deaths were ruled homicides.
Briana and Emilio’s father, Jorge Rodriguez, is beside himself with grief from his children’s deaths.
“I’m broken. I miss them,” he said emotionally on the verge of tears. “They were great kids. They’re my life. Now, I can’t right now, like my soul is not here.”
The fatal shooting came to light on Friday at 6:35 a.m., when police were called to a home on Ann Marie Lane in Oak Forest about a domestic disturbance and found two people shot in the driveway and a third in the road near the house.
As police and SWAT members convened on the scene, Carlos ran into the house, locking himself inside.
A child was able to leave the house before the fire started, according to police.
Authorities had told residents to take shelter for several hours after the shooting and fire took place.
It seems Lupe had phoned police multiple times since 2016 for domestic violence disturbances. Carlos was charged with domestic battery in one of the incidents. It is unclear whether that case had been adjudicated at the time of the killings.
At the time of her murder, Lupe was trying to get away from Carlos.
“I think he lost control over her,” Navarez said. “She already had lawyers involved, documents, everything you can think of. And this is what happened.”
Navarez is caring for Lupe’s two remaining daughters, 15 and 13. Navarez started a GoFundMe to help raise money for Lupe’s funeral and to support her two surviving daughters.
“These two girls have been left with nothing,” he wrote. “They have lost their mom their home their siblings all at once. They will need a lot of emotional support and resources towards their future.”
Another GoFundMe has been set up to help defray the costs of Brianna and Emilio’s funerals.
