South Sacramento apartment complex employee shot, killed after dispute; suspect arrested
SACRAMENTO – A south Sacramento apartment complex employee was allegedly shot and killed by a tenant on Monday, authorities say.
Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office responded to an apartment complex near 66th Avenue and E. Southgate Drive around 9:40 a.m. to investigate a shooting.
There, deputies say a woman was fatally shot. She was a worker at the complex, the sheriff's office says.
Detectives identified the suspect as 66-year-old Leslie Weikert. He allegedly shot the woman several times after having some sort of dispute with her.
Weikert was arrested later Monday evening. He's facing a charge of homicide and is being held at Sacramento County Jail without bail.
Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF), the company that manages the complex, identified the woman killed as Orelia Anderson, who had worked there since 2019.
"In conversations with fellow staff members, Lia expressed her love for her job and her residents; she valued RHF's Mission of helping people in need. We are heartbroken with this loss," the company said in a statement.
Grief counselors will be available for staff and residents, the company said.
"I can't my head around it that she's gone, for no reason," said Anderson's sister, Josie Casele.
Anderson's loved ones spoke exclusively with CBS13 on Tuesday afternoon through tears.
"She was trying to get this man to downgrade from a two bedroom to a one bedroom because he no longer needed a two bedroom," said Anderson's mother, Judy Davis.
RHF confirmed with CBS13 that this is true. They said that Weikert had been a resident there for nearly 30 years and had recently moved into a one-bedroom apartment to open up the two-bedroom for families under HUD protocol.
The apartment complex is for families with someone who is chronically mentally ill, with no age limits.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office could not confirm what the motive was but also said there was a dispute leading up to the shooting.
"We heard like six or seven bullets that went off in the air and we thought it was the pigeons," said Ronnie Reed who lives nearby. "I was so nervous. I was so shocked. I can't even think about it."
"She wanted to help people," Davis said of Anderson. "She wanted to help people to add joy to their lives, something different."
Davis said her daughter graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in social work. She was promoted to manager at the property in 2020.
Now Anderson's gone, leaving behind her grieving family who is demanding change and justice.
"Enough is enough," Davis said.
They want to know what could have prevented the tenant who is accused of pulling the trigger on their loved one.
"She loved her job. She loved helping people," Casele said. "Even though it sometimes was difficult, she loved helping people."
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said that Weikert has no criminal record. He is due in court on Wednesday.
