Woman Killed In Shooting Inside Whittier Kohl's, Husband Arrested
WHITTIER (CBSLA) — A woman was shot and killed inside a Kohl's department store in Whittier Tuesday evening. The suspected gunman, believed to be the victim's estranged husband, was captured early Wednesday morning.
The shooting occurred at around 5:30 p.m. at a store in the 15ooo block of Whittwood Lane.
According to Whittier police, a man and a woman started arguing near the registers when the man pulled out a gun and shot the woman.
"It was chaos, from what I understand," Officer Hugo Figueroa, a spokesperson for the Whittier Police Department, said. "A lot of people were in panic mode after they heard the gunshot and saw the victim down on the ground."
He then ran away on foot — leaving behind stunned and terrified customers and workers.
Police said the victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.
"She just called me crying," Memo Torres, the father of a Kohl's worker, said Tuesday night. "She only heard shots, that's it. She only heard just the gun going on."
At about 2 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect, 41-year-old Enrique Acosta, was arrested in Barstow, Whittier police said. He was booked into jail on murder charges.
Police told CBSLA the two had been separated for about a year. A child witnessed the shooting but was not hurt. It's unclear exactly how the child is connected to Acosta and the victim.
The Kohl's store remained closed Wednesday while police continue to investigate.
It's unclear if police have obtained surveillance photo of the shooting.
Acosta is being held on $1 million bail.
