Man Allegedly Shoots Wife, Sister In Apparent 'Mercy' Killings
NORTH HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A 60-year-old Canyon Country man allegedly shot his wife to death before heading to a North Hills nursing facility and gunning down his ailing sister in what police describe as a pair of mercy killings.
LAPD officers first responded to the Country Villa Sheraton Nursing & Rehabilitation facility at 9655 North Sepulveda Blvd. about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to an LAPD Media Relations spokesperson.
The suspect, who was later identified as Lance Holger Anderson, walked into the nursing home with a small-caliber handgun, went to his sister's room and allegedly shot her, according to KCAL9's Randy Paige.
Anderson, 60, then walked outside the facility, waited for police to arrive and was taken into custody, Paige reported.
The victim, who was later identified as 58-year-old Lisa Nave, died at the scene. She had been hospitalized at the nursing home for five years while in a coma.
Bonnie Riel said she visited the hospital after the killing and saw that patients and staff were visibly shaken.
"The patients were very, very uptight and running up and down the halls. A lot of the employees were very attached to her and are very upset about this and it's just a horrible thing," Riel said.
Authorities said Anderson had applied for a job at the home.
Meanwhile, at about 10 a.m., a woman in her 60s was found shot to death at a home in the 26800 block of Claudette Street in Canyon Country, according to Paige, who cited information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports neighbors living in nearby condos now believe they heard the victim being shot to death in her unit.
Man Allegedly Shoots Wife, Sister In Apparent 'Mercy' Killings
"Last night, I heard two loud 'booms' around 10:30, maybe 11:00, and they were extremely loud," said one resident.
The woman's body was discovered after one of Nave's relatives — who had just learned of her death — contacted authorities and expressed concern about the shooting suspect's wife, who was suffering from dementia, Lt. Paul Vernon said.
"The assumption there is that [the suspect] killed her, came [to the nursing facility], and killed his sister," Vernon said.
Police said family members have identified the woman in Canyon Country as the wife of the shooting suspect, according to Paige.
Anderson has been booked on suspicion of murder in the killing at a North Hills nursing facility, Vernon said. He is also a suspect in the fatal shooting of his wife at their Canyon Country residence.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
