KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — A man shot and killed his wife and her daughter in the parking lot of the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services Wednesday morning, police said. The suspect later died by suicide, officers with the Kannapolis Police Department said.
Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz spotted a large police presence on South Cannon Boulevard just after 9 a.m. About 20 bullet holes could be seen in the window of a gray SUV at the scene.
Kannapolis Police said they got a 911 call about a person firing a gun in the parking lot around 8:30 a.m.
An on-duty Cabarrus County sheriff’s deputy was parked in front of DSS when he heard gunshots and saw the suspect drive away. That deputy called it in and pursued the suspect identified as Rafael Lopez, 51, of Harrisburg.
Meanwhile, responding officers said they found two people dead from gunshot wounds in the parking lot. They were Maria Julian-Pichardo, 45, and her 19-year-old daughter Yamilaine Sosa-Julian, of the same address as Lopez in Harrisburg.
Kannapolis Police said they joined in the chase as the suspect led officers into Rowan County, where Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies also helped in the pursuit.
The chase ended when Lopez shot himself after pulling over in the 1500 block of Lower Palmer Road in Rockwell, police said. Officers said he died from his injuries.
Domestic violence incident
The violence stemmed from a domestic situation reported on Feb. 1, Kannapolis police said.
Lopez and Julian-Pichardo were married. Law enforcement and DSS began investigating the couple on that date after a domestic violence incident in their Harrisburg home. Children were at the home, as well.
Firearms were removed from the home, police said.
On Feb. 6, Lopez was charged with a misdemeanor crime of domestic assault and was out on a $5,000 bail.
On Feb. 14, he was served with a temporary 50-B Domestic Protective Order.
The mother and daughter victims were at DSS Wednesday morning to meet with a social worker to discuss the Feb. 1 incident.
No DSS employees were injured in Wednesday morning’s deadly shooting.
On Feb. 1, Lopez tried to smother Julian-Pichardo, held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her and her stepdaughter, according to court documents.
The daughter called 911 and when police arrived, Lopez allegedly told them he wanted to kill himself.
‘Multiple deputy cars going by, flying’
Channel 9′s Erika Jackson was at Lower Palmer Road Wednesday morning and saw a yard filled with law enforcement cars.
Just after 11 a.m., Channel 9 saw a crew tow away a Hyundai sedan that was missing its passenger-side window.
People nearby told Jackson they were concerned when they saw the chase in what’s usually a quiet neighborhood.
“All I saw were multiple deputy cars going by, flying, with their lights on. I said something’s up. I went to the dentist and when I came back 30 minutes later, all of this was going on,” neighbor Kevin Fisher said.
This is an active investigation, which includes how Lopez came into possession of the weapon used today.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the Safe Alliance Hope Line at 980-771-4673. It’s available 24 hours a day.
Check wsoctv.com for the latest.
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