No charges have been filed so far in the shooting death of the mayor of the small Los Angeles suburb of Bell Gardens, a day after his wife opened fire on him during a heated argument at their condominium, authorities said on Wednesday.
Daniel Crespo, 45, and his wife, Levette, 43, were arguing on Tuesday at their home in the city when their 19-year-old son, Daniel Crespo Jr., intervened, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said.
Father and son got into a physical fight and Levette Crespo got a gun and shot her husband multiple times, officials said.
He was pronounced dead at a hospital, sheriff's officials said. The couple, who have two adult children, had been married since 1986, and Crespo had worked as a Los Angeles County probation officer for over 20 years, county spokesman Brandon Dowling said.
Both Levette Crespo and her son were released after questioning late on Tuesday, police said. Police have not said who owned the gun used in the shooting.
Daniel Crespo Jr. was treated for facial injuries after the altercation with his father, Fairfield said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office will determine if charges should be filed against Levette Crespo, officials said.
"As far as I know, we have not (received the case)," said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was working with Bell Gardens police to investigate the death. The sheriff's department will turn over the case to prosecutors, said Bell Gardens police Lieutenant Scott Fairfield.
"I don't think it's going to be today," he said.
Sheriff's officials declined to say when they might give prosecutors their findings.
Crespo was raised in a housing project in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and was the high school sweetheart of Levette, according to a biography on the Bell Gardens website.
"Mayor Crespo was a respected public servant who dedicated his life to protecting and helping others in Southeast Los Angeles and throughout the region," state Senator Ricardo Lara and state Assemblywoman Christina Garcia, both Democrats who represent the Bell Gardens area, said in a statement.
