OCALA, Fla. – Ocala police say a man shot and killed his girlfriend and her mother on Monday afternoon, sparking a police pursuit ending in shots being fired by officers and the suspect crashing his motorcycle.
Police said they were called to a disturbance of someone pounding on the door of an apartment at the Springwood Village Apartments on 1525 25th Street.
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When officers arrived, there were reports of multiple shots fired, and they found Bonnie and Julia Motto dead inside, along with a 6-year-old girl and a 22-month-old boy unharmed.
The suspect, identified as Richardo DeJesus Barrera, fled on a motorcycle from the apartment complex and continued to flee from officers on SE 17th Street, police said.
During the pursuit, an Ocala police officer fired shots and Barrera crashed in the 1600 block of SE 17th Street, according to police.
Police said Barrera was taken to a hospital and is in extremely critical condition.
The children, who are the children and grandchildren of Bonnie and Julia Motto, were in the home at the time of the shooting. They are now with a victim advocate, according to police.
"I lost my wife and I lost my youngest daughter," said Bill Motto, the husband and father of Bonnie and Julia Motto. "I hope he really is dead."
Bill Motto said there was some sort of incident over the weekend between his daughter and Barrera and that his daughter had filed for an injunction Monday morning, but it was denied by a judge.