Police: Man kills 2 women, shoots self after fleeing cops

LACEY, Wash. — As Lacey police stood guard at a house a family shared for several years in a quiet neighborhood, neighbors could not believe the husband and father who used to live there was accused of shooting and killing his estranged wife and her mother, kidnapping the couple's two kids and shooting at police during a high-speed chase -- which ended when the man shot himself.

But court documents show KIRO 7 a pattern of trouble. Three weeks ago, 31-year-old Rachel Gardin-Gonzalez filed for divorce from her husband, 33-year-old Ricky Gardin-Gonzalez, and also filed for a restraining order to keep him away from her and their two children.

Neighbors tell KIRO 7 they saw Ricky Gardin-Gonzalez arrested two weeks ago.

"I saw he was taken away in handcuffs," said neighbor Tara Frost. "That was when the restraining order and everything came about."

Lacey police say at about 5 p.m., a 911 call came from the house in Sunset View Estates off Yelm Highway Southeast, and when officers arrived, Ricky Gardin-Gonzalez was racing away with the two children in a car. Officers say he fired shots at them but police were told to hold their fire.

"The officers did not fire at the vehicle because they had knowledge that there possibly could be young children in there," said Commander Chris Ward. "So they never fired back."

Police eventually blocked the car in at the Olympia Auto Mall, where Gardin-Gonzalez shot himself in the throat. Officers rescued the children from the car and Gardin-Gonzalez was taken to Harborview Medical Center.

Neighbors say until Monday, Gardin-Gonzalez never seemed to be a threat to anyone

"He was a very nice gentleman," said Frost. "He treated my son, my husband, everybody here very well. I never intimidated by him or felt threatened."

Ward said officers were relieved the children were not physically hurt.

"There were a lot of people endangered because of the shooting by the suspect," he said. "People on the freeway, there were a lot of innocents out there, and I'm glad our cops didn't get shot and I'm glad that the children were OK."

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