New Suspect Description in Christmas Eve Mall Shootings

SDPD lieutenant said, "If this case can be solved, this case will be solved."

Investigators released a new suspect description in a triple homicide case connected to a shooting outside a San Diego mall on Christmas Eve.

Gianni Belvedere, 24 of Tierrasanta, was found dead on Jan. 17, weeks after the shooting deaths of his fiancée and brother, Ilona Flint, 22, and Salvatore Belvedere.

Flint and Salvatore Belvedere were shot outside the Macy’s department store at Westfield Mission Valley Mall on Dec. 24. The stores were open for extended hours to accommodate holiday shoppers.

Flint made a 911 call around 1:15 a.m. despite a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while Salvatore Belvedere died three days later from gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Read: Deadly Shooting in Mission Valley Mall Parking Lot

Homicide investigators confirmed Gianni Belvedere was found inside the trunk of a car parked in Riverside. The cause of death has not been released but investigators have described Gianni as a victim of homicide.

On Friday, faced with mounting questions about the investigation, San Diego police held a media briefing in which a new suspect description was released.

Lt. Mike Hastings said the suspect is a man wearing a black hoodie with white bands in the biceps area of the sweatshirt, tan pants and white tennis shoes. He is described as an unknown race, standing 5-foot-10 to 6-foot, police said.

It's believed that the suspect was at the Mission Valley mall at 11:15 p.m. the night before the shooting and returned to the mall at 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 24.

Hastings went on to say that San Diego police have spent hundreds of hours on this case.

“If this case can be solved, this case will be solved,” Hastings said.

Friends told NBC 7 that Flint moved to San Diego a few years ago after Gianni, her longtime boyfriend, moved here from Utah.

The couple had been dating for about eight years and planned to get married, friends said.

A neighbor in Tierrasanta told NBC 7 the Belvedere brothers lived together in a home on a quiet street and were always friendly.

The neighbor said Flint also lived with the brothers.

Anyone with information can call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Contact Us