San Diego

Boyfriend Arrested in Lake Murray Shooting Death of Girlfriend, Witnessed by 5-Year-Old Son: PD

San Diego Police have identified the victim as 29-year-old Vanessa Marie Bobo. Her 5-year-old son not only witnessed the crime, but helped officers identify the suspect.

The man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend in front of the victim's 5-year-old son has been taken into custody, San Diego Police confirmed Wednesday afternoon. 

Roderick Lamar Harris, 32, was taken into custody at approximately 12:20 p.m. near the 200 block of Woodlawn Avenue in Chula Vista.

Harris is accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, Vanessa Marie Bobo, 29, at their Lake Murray apartment Wednesday morning. Bobo was found with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body inside the home, on Lake Arrowhead Drive, police said.

The suspect was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Chula Vista at a relative’s house. NBC 7’s Wendy Fry has more on how authorities identified and located the man in such short time.

Witnesses told police they heard a fight, gunshots and then saw a man fleeing the home. 

SDPD officers arrived to the scene and found Bobo’s son and a crying baby inside the home.

After talking with the child, officers identified Bobo's boyfriend, Harris, as the suspect in the shooting.

LAKE-MURRAY-HOMICIDE-SUSPECT_RODERICK-HARISS1
SDPD
A photo of shooting suspect Roderick Harris, 32, provided by SDPD Homicide.

Authorities began searching for Harris shortly after. Officers released a photo of Harris and said they considered him armed and dangerous. 

When officers took Harris into custody, they noticed several minor wounds on his body. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution and will be booked into jail on one count of murder, police say. 

Investigators have not yet recovered the gun used in the killing.

In the meantime, the 5-year-old is with his biological father, and the infant is with family members. Police said the children were frightened, but not injured, in the shooting.

Harris is the biological father of the one-year-old infant, police said.

Harris has one prior domestic violence arrest, but no convictions. That prior incident did not involve the victim and was from a prior relationship. 

Homicide investigator Lt. Manny Del Toro said the involvement of the children in the crime makes the investigation difficult for police.

β€œIt’s definitely very emotional,” said Lt. Manny Del Toro. β€œYou don’t want to expose any type of violence to a person of any age but particularly when it’s a child, it definitely strikes a chord with us.”

The location of the shooting is a community 15 miles east of downtown San Diego, west of State Route 125 and south of Navajo Road. Authorities will be at the scene for several hours, processing evidence. 

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

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