Fresno Shooting: Couple Dead After Murder-Suicide at Pediatrics Office

A Fresno, California, shooting stemming from a domestic violence incident this week led to the death of a man and woman who fathered his five children in what police say was a murder-suicide.

The shooting happened late Tuesday morning at the Sang Pediatrics and Eye Medical Center in downtown Fresno where the woman reportedly worked, according to the Fresno Bee. The alleged shooter has been identified as 43-year-old Neng Moua.

Fresno police told the Bee that Moua had a documented history of domestic violence. The woman, 33, who has not been identified by authorities, had an estranged relationship with Moua at the time of the shooting and was never formally married to him, despite having his five children.

"Employees told police there was a dispute over child custody, and that a hearing was scheduled for May," KernGoldenEmpire.com reported. "Medical staff could be seen running down the street after a report of multiple shots fired. Police rescued several people through an office window . . . One witness said she was in the medical office with family members when a man entered, carrying a large shotgun, and began speaking with an employee who was behind the desk."

"After threatening the employee, the man dragged her to the ground, hit her, unwrapped the shotgun and I guess he was going to shoot," the witness told the website. "At that point, she fled the office."

Fresno Deputy Police Chief Pat Farmer told KFSN-TV that the female victim was struck multiple times at close range with bullets. He said that, along with the five children she had with Moau, the woman also had two other kids from a different relationship.

Genelle Taylor Kump, executive director of the Marjaree Mason Center in Fresno, told the Bee that the shooting incident was a sad reminder of the tragic results that domestic violence can lead to. Her center provides shelter and support services to domestic violence victims in the Fresno area.

"This severe abuse doesn't happen overnight; it can start with verbal abuse, escalate to physical abuse and unfortunately, as in this case, may result in death," she said.

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