The mayor of a Los Angeles suburb was shot to death on Tuesday during an argument with his wife, who was taken into custody, authorities said.
Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo, 45, was pronounced dead at a hospital, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Crystal Hernandez said.
Paramedics were called to a condominium in the suburb shortly after 2:30pm. Crespo and his wife, Levette Crespo, 43, had gotten into an argument, Hernandez said.
Their son, Daniel Jr, 19, tried to intervene and Crespo got into a struggle with him, she said.
Levette Crespo got a gun and shot her husband several times in the torso, and she was detained for questioning, Hernandez said Crespo and his wife were high-school sweethearts who married in 1986.
They met in New York, according to a biography on the city’s Web site.
Bell Gardens, a suburb of about 43,000, is located about 29km southeast of Los Angeles. Crespo was elected to the City Council in 2001. The council is a part-time job and members take turns serving as mayor.
The city’s Web site on Tuesday night had an image of a black bow and a statement from Mayor Pro Tem Priscilla Flores and three council members that said the shooting does not appear to be related to Crespo’s mayoral activities.
“Our thoughts and prayers should be with Mayor Crespo’s family at this tragic time,” the statement said.
Crespo has been a county deputy probation officer for 15 years, according to the Web site. However, county CEO Bill Fujioka said in a Twitter posting that Crespo had more than 21 years with the probation department.
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