Gunman Kills Ex-Wife, Boyfriend, Self

A gunman shot and killed his ex-wife and her boyfriend in a Santa Monica park Monday morning, then shot himself to death, police said.

The couple were parked at the southeast end of Clover Park in a Volvo sedan when the gunman drove up, walked to the passenger side and shot the man several times with a .38-caliber handgun, police said. The gunman then went around to the driver’s side, where the woman was standing after getting out of the car, and shot her, investigators said.

None of the victims were identified pending notification of relatives.

The woman and the gunman, both in their 40s, were Santa Monica residents and were once married, said Detective Steve Rosenfeld. The male victim was in his 30s and lived in Los Angeles, the detective said. The couple had been embracing in the park in the 2500 block of Ocean Park Boulevard shortly before the shooting, witnesses said.

Sigrid H. Desoi, president of Pacific Southwest Escrow Corp., saw part of the shooting from the second floor of an office building that overlooks the park.

“We heard the shots, and I walked to the corner of the office building where I saw the woman standing next to the driver’s side of the car,” said Desoi. “We called the police, and then the next second she was on the ground.

“Then the man with the gun walked over to the bathroom, contemplated the scene and then walked back and was standing next to the woman. Then I saw him lying down next to her body (after he shot himself).”

The park was full of children, joggers, walkers and others when the shooting occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m., police said. Several people said they heard the shots, but they did not see the shooting.