Eugene Molter

Case overview

Eugene Molter, 68, shot and killed three people at a senior citizens apartment complex at Congregational Tower in Chula Vista, California, and then committed suicide by shooting himself the same day. Police said the shootings occurred when he was facing eviction from his apartment.

Timeline

• About 2:30 p.m. Wednesday — Molter fired shots at Congregational Tower; officers arrived and were fired upon.
• About 2:40 p.m. Wednesday — Shots first rang out at Congregational Tower.
• Less than five minutes — The rampage near San Diego took less than five minutes.
• After police hunted for nearly four hours — Residents were evacuated in SWAT trucks and later returned to their apartments.

The offence

Molter used a 9 mm pistol during the attack. Police said he shot and killed Albert Carignan, 65, and Patricia Carignan, 60, the husband-and-wife resident managers at Congregational Tower. He then shot through the door and killed Ariel Ibarra, the 72-year-old man who lived directly above his 15th-floor apartment.

Police said Molter moved away, shot Patricia Carignan in the neck, and then returned to shoot her husband several more times. After Molter shot Ariel Ibarra on the 16th floor, he returned to his apartment and fired from his balcony at arriving police officers. Molter then went back in his apartment and killed himself. Police stated that the suspect fired at least six shots at officers.

Investigation and response

Police said officers exchanged fire with Molter when they first arrived. Police said the area around the building was locked down by police while they searched for the gunman. The locked-down area ran “from E to G Streets and from 2nd to 4th Avenues.”

Police spokesman Lt. Gary Wedge said Molter was found in his apartment dead of a self-inflicted gunshot. Authorities did not know where or when Molter acquired the gun used in the shooting. Investigators found three boxes of ammunition for the gun in Molter’s apartment.

As police hunted for the gunman for nearly four hours, dozens of residents, some in wheelchairs, were evacuated in SWAT trucks. Wedge said the age and infirmity of many residents required police to be cautious in entering rooms during their search. Residents later returned to their apartments.

Arrest / custody

Molter was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot in his apartment after the shootings.

People involved

Defendant / suspect

• Eugene Molter (68) — Shot and killed three people at Congregational Tower and then committed suicide by shooting himself.

Victims

• Albert Carignan (65) — Resident manager; shot and killed.
• Patricia Carignan (60) — Resident manager; shot and killed.
• Ariel Ibarra (72) — Tenant; shot and killed.

Other named individuals

• David Eisenberg — Police Sgt. David Eisenberg said shots were fired at Congregational Tower at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and officers were fired upon as they arrived.
• Gary Wedge — Chula Vista police Lt. Gary Wedge said Molter left a note warning, “This is my day,” and gave details about the apartment, the victims, and the police response; he also said Molter was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.
• Ariel Ibarra (the son of the oldest victim) — Said his father repeatedly complained about noise from Molter’s apartment; described what went through his mind after hearing about the shooting.
• Fannie West (74) — Described Molter and the Carignans.
• David Ramos Rivera (66) — Said Molter had a lot of arguments with Ibarra.
• Sylvia Lopez (63) — Said she was worried about her husband and tried calling but nobody answered.
• Roberto — Sylvia Lopez’s 66-year-old husband.
• Steve Sullivan (36) — Said he was teaching a class for medical assistants and described what he heard and saw.
• Congressman Bob Filner — Mentioned that his offices were nearby and that an area was locked down by police.
• Erica Kimball — Witness who said she did not know why someone would do this.
• Lt. Gary Wedge of the Chula Vista Police Department — Spoke about Molter firing at least six shots at officers.

Background / motive and disputes

Police said Molter became enraged at his impending eviction from an apartment complex for senior citizens. Neighbors described Molter as strange and a loner.

Wedge said Molter had no known relatives and listed no previous address when he moved into the Congregational Tower six years earlier. Wedge said Molter had a 1982 conviction for petty theft and shoplifting. Another portion of the reporting said Molter’s only known criminal history was a three-year-old arrest for petty theft and trespassing, and that he received three years probation, with details of the theft not immediately available.

Wedge said Molter’s eviction resulted from ongoing problems and pending eviction. Police said complaints from Ibarra and others led to Molter’s eviction from the $300-a-month apartment, effective Thursday. Wedge said Molter tormented Ibarra for years by banging on the ceiling with a baseball bat, and other residents said Molter acted in a belligerent manner and made loud noises in his apartment.

Another reporting described that the managers had recently raised rents by $100 a month and that some residents were angry about the change. Police and other reporting indicated that Molter was in the process of being evicted and that it may have prompted the shooting attack.

Notes / quoted statements

Lt. Gary Wedge said Molter left a note warning:

"This is my day."

Ariel Ibarra, the son of the oldest victim, said:

"When I heard about the shooting, the first thing that went through my mind was that guy hurt my father."

Fannie West, 74, said:

"He seemed like he was always angry. He never looked relaxed."

Fannie West, 74, also said of the Carignans:

"They just pampered us like we were little children,"
"They just made us feel at home."

Congressman Bob Filner said:

"I'm locked in the office watching the whole thing,"
"There are some constituents here. They had a longer meeting then they wanted."

Congressman Bob Filner also said:

"I don't care what age you are -- first it was the schools, now it's the senior center -- it doesn't matter what economic group or ethnic group, we're all vulnerable. We all have to be together in solving this,"
"There are just so many bad things happening right now,"

Steve Sullivan, 36, said:

"I just heard some pop-pop-pop and I didn't think much of it,"
"But then I saw a procession of police cars and the SWAT team came through."

Erica Kimball told 10News:

"I don't know why someone would do this."

Aftermath

Chula Vista had an area locked down by police during the search for the gunman. Dozens of residents were evacuated in SWAT trucks, including some in wheelchairs. After police searching concluded, residents returned to their apartments. One officer suffered minor injuries, though police would not say how he was wounded. Another person was reported to have suffered a heart attack.