Carlsbad police have arrested two people they believe conspired and planned the late-night shooting of a 45-year-old victim off Avenida Soledad.
Diana Lovejoy, 43, and Weldon McDavid Jr., 49, were arrested Thursday near their homes in Carlsbad and Fallbrook, respectively, police said. They were charged with Attempted Murder, Conspiracy, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Assault with Great Bodily Injury.
Investigators say the pair conspired and planned the shooting, which happened in early September.
Authorities say McDavid, an employee at a local shooting range in Oceanside where the victim reportedly took lessons, called the victim and arranged a meeting on the access road off Avenida Soledad the night of the shooting.
When the victim arrived, McDavid shot at the victim from the bushes and hit him once in the side, police say. He then fled.
The victim, from San Marcos, suffered a gunshot wound to the side and was taken to a local hospital, according to police.
The shooting prompted authorities to block off more than a mile of Rancho Santa Fe Road from northbound Camino Junipero to southbound Melrose Drive just before midnight. SWAT officers searched the area and a reverse 911 call went out advising residents to stay in their homes.
Lovejoy, also charged in the shooting, is the estranged spouse of the victim, police say.
Police are still piecing together why Lovejoy and McDavid conspired to shoot the victim, as well as the connection between the two suspects, said Chief Neil Gallucci.
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“We would like to thank the community for their support and for following the reverse 911 instructions the evening of the incident. We understand how frightening it must have been to learn what had occurred in the community,” said Gallucci in a statement. “I would also like to thank the investigators for working around the clock to identify and arrest these two suspects.”
Gallucci said the incident appears to be specific to the individuals and officials do not believe there are outstanding suspects.
