Modesto Double Homicide Suspect Is Alive After Police Shooting; Victims' Families Working On Forgiveness
MODESTO (CBS13) — Two innocent lives were taken in a triple shooting in Modesto last week. Police are now confirming the three adults were not the intended targets.
Brandon Wheeler, Jimmy Sullivan and his fiancée Emelia Natale were shot last Friday after returning home from a drive-in movie with their kids.
"They were just so innocent, I just don't understand why there's gotta be so much evil," said Rachel Freouf, Jimmy Sullivan's cousin.
She remembered the first time she got the call that the three had been shot.
"Jimmy was in the ICU, and Emelia and Brandon had passed, it just hurt so bad," she said.
The shooting happened on Semple Street where Emelia and Jimmy were living.
"All we heard was a bunch of gunshots," said one neighbor.
READ ALSO: Man Shot By Officers Inside Modesto Walgreens Identified As Daniel Ahlschlager, 30
Bullet holes can be seen in the house three doors down. One neighbor who didn't want to be identified says he saw a man on foot with a gun outside that home. He says that the person ran down the street towards Emelia and Jimmy's home and started shooting.
"I heard Jimmy moaning and groaning, and Brandon was laying on the doorstep," the neighbor said.
Investigators say the three adults were not the intended target of the shooter, but are not releasing who was. An investigation led Modesto Police to the suspected shooter in Stockton on Tuesday. Police say they found the suspect with a gun and an officer-involved shooting occurred.
Police say the suspect is alive and is in the hospital being treated, but won't release their identity saying it may compromise their investigation.
The family says even just days after this shooting, they're working on forgiving the person responsible.
"They just want to show there's no hate here, it's just all love no matter what we go through," said Freouf.
Neighbors say a Modesto Police surveillance truck has been parked outside the family home for two days. Police are not releasing any more information about the suspect or their investigation. We expect to learn more about the suspect next week.
More from CBS Sacramento:
