MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF TWIN TEEN GIRLS IN LEMON GROVE, BOTHER ALSO INJURED

Update April 16, 2020:  The suspect has been identified as Dwayne Edward Groves Jr., 38.

By Miriam Raftery

April 15, 2020 (Lemon Grove) –A suspect has been arrested after shooting and killing twin 15-year-old girls and wounding their brother, 23. The mother of the victims was able to save her younger children by fleeing with them after the shooting began around noon today in her residence in the 7400 block of Central Avenue near Buena Vista in Lemon Grove.

The mother told a reporter with OnScene TV that the shooter is her former boyfriend, whom she recently broke up with.

Lt. Thomas Seiver with the San Diego Sheriff’s department confirmed that two female victims were shot and killed, but did not disclose their identities.  He indicated that the third victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

The mother told OnScene TV that on Easter Sunday, she allowed her ex-boyfriend to come visit her younger children. He returned today with a gun and shot out the back window. “My 15-year-old daughter tried to close the door on him and he kicked the door open and he shot her in the head,” she said, adding that after he came after the three oldest children, “I grabbed the  little kids and ran out the back because I knew I couldn’t do anything for my daughters.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a distraught man, apparently the father of the slain girls, showed up at the crime scene pleading to see his children, after shouting, “Who the (expletive) killed my children?”

Deputies searched the area with help from the Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter, advising residents to stay indoors and lock their doors. They found the suspect hiding in a neighbor’s backyard and arrested him.

We thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we conduct our investigation,” said Lt. Seiver, who says the street is expected to stay blocked off until tomorrow.