Deputy city attorney and his family died in murder-suicide, authorities say
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A Los Angeles deputy city attorney allegedly shot and killed his wife and son and fired at his daughter before turning the gun on himself at their Northridge, California, home Wednesday.
Eric Lertzman, 60, joined the Los Angeles city attorney’s office in 2005, according to a statement released on Twitter by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.
He confirmed that Lertzman had been involved in a “tragic incident,” and that “early reports indicate police were called to the family home because of a domestic disturbance.”
The Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Magazine, KABC and NBC have coverage.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release that officers responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon with shots fired at Lertzman’s home at around 9 a.m. and found three people dead.
The LAPD said in the release that Lertzman killed his wife, Sandra, 60, in their master bedroom and tried to also kill his daughter, the Los Angeles Times reports. She locked herself in the bathroom, escaped through the window and ran to a neighbor’s house.
Lertzman then killed his 19-year-old son, Michael, and returned to the master bedroom to kill himself, the LAPD said in the release provided to the Los Angeles Times. Two handguns were also recovered from the home.
“The motive behind this tragic murder-suicide is still under investigation, but investigators believe the recent loss of a loved one and ongoing health issues played a significant role,” the LAPD said in the news release.
Michael Lertzman posted about his grandmother Phyllis Lertzman’s death two weeks ago on Instagram, according to the Los Angeles Times.
