According to police records, a mother who was shot dead by her ex-husband, a former police officer, was “terrified” of him. The former police officer shot his ex-wife as she picked up their child from school on Monday, April 22, 2024, in Washington.
The former couple, Amber Rodriguez and Elias Huizar’s lengthy divorce ended almost a year before Monday’s fatal attack. While speaking to NBC News, the woman who became the guardian in their case, Tara Symons, revealed a harrowing detail.
She claimed that Rodriguez had obtained a restraining order against her ex-husband in the weeks leading to her death. Symons said the 31-year-old, who died outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland, had safety concerns throughout the divorce proceedings, which began in late 2020.
Despite the protection order, Symons said Rodriguez was still afraid. “She knew how he was and that it was just paper,” she said. Furthermore, Symons noted that the mother worked as a paraeducator at the school to keep an eye on her son.
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Unfortunately, their nine-year-old ended up witnessing his father shooting his mother at school pick-up on Monday afternoon. “This poor family… They tried everything to stay safe from him,” Symons said tearfully. “And so many systems failed this family.”
Following the tragic incident, the Richland school district superintendent, Dr Shelley Redinger, explained the events. Redinger said Huizar hid behind a “portable area” waiting for his ex-wife, who he knew would be there.
“Our district has suffered a profound loss in the passing of Amber Rodriguez,” the school district said. “Our deepest condolences go out to Amber’s family during this difficult time.” Furthermore, Redinger told reporters that the district was supporting the couple’s children while seeking to help other students who witnessed the shooting.
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Hours after Rodriguez’s shooting, the West Richland Police Department found another victim, Huizar’s 17-year-old girlfriend Angelica M Santos. He reportedly killed her at his home and took his one-year-old son, Roman, before going on the run.
Authorities believed he was heading for Mexico before they spotted him in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday, April 23. Troopers chased Huizar when they saw him driving southbound on Interstate 5 near Eugene, Oregon, at about 3 pm that day.
However, the disgraced officer sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and died. Officials then took the little boy to safety. According to police records, Huizar was an officer with the Yakima Police Department, around 70 miles from West Richland. He worked with the department between June 2013 and 2021.
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He was to appear in court on Monday to face child rape allegations relating to two underage girls. Notably, he had pleaded not guilty to the charges in February. During a press briefing, officers revealed one of his victims was Santos. Huizar and Santos allegedly met while he was working as a substitute teacher and school resource officer in Yakima.
The disgraced police officer allegedly got her pregnant when she was 15. Then, earlier this year, Santos woke up to find Huizar sexually assaulting a 16-year-old friend staying at their home. Santos’ mother, Tiffany Penaloza, spoke to NBC about her daughter’s relationship with Huizar.
Despite Huizar’s rash behavior, Penaloza said Santos stayed because she didn’t want to break up their family. “She had this vision for her son that he’d have this perfect little family,” Penaloza said. Unfortunately, they’ve left their little boy without either parent.
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