The Atkins Nursery was up and running Monday as if a fatal shooting hadn't occurred just last week. Workers were seen caring for plants just three days after three people were gunned down on the property. Investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the three victims and the gunman all worked at the nursery.
Enrique Barajas, 76, is being held in the Vista Jail without bail, awaiting his arraignment on Wednesday, but investigators have not shared why they believe he opened fire at his workplace, killing one man and injuring a second as well as shooting his own daughter.
Sheriff’s investigators have not revealed the names of the victims, but two nieces told NBC 7 the deceased is Francisco Hernandez. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family pay for funeral expenses.
Fallbrook Stories
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NBC 7 reached out to Victor Gonzalez, who owns Atkins Nursery. He said he did not want to talk about the incident, adding that Barajas wasn’t working the day of the shooting and that Barajas’ daughter only worked there part-time before the phone line got disconnected. Gonzalez did not pick up when NBC 7 called him back, nor did he respond to text messages.
The shooting has generated a lot of attention in Fallbrook, which one 33-year-old resident describes as a tight-knit community that doesn’t normally have major crimes. Steve DeWitt works behind the deli counter at the Pala Mesa Market just a few miles away from the nursery.
“We get a lot of people here at the store, and a lot of people do talk about stuff and we just honestly haven’t heard anything,” said DeWitt.
“It’s just a bewilderment,” said DeWitt. “It’s just not what Fallbrook’s like.”
