Mother and son identified in apparent murder-suicide in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Police Department announced Wednesday that a man and woman who were involved in an apparent murder-suicide last week have been named and identified as mother and son.

*The Nexstar Media Wire video above shows what happens when someone calls 911.

According to SDPD, on Monday, March 23, at around 7:40 p.m., officers and San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel responded to a 911 call on San Marcos Avenue in the Burlingame neighborhood. The report said neighbors heard gunshots and found a man with a gunshot wound to his head on the front porch of a residence.

When officers arrived, they found a 51-year-old man, who was later identified as Galen Sherwood, with a gunshot wound to the head, which police reportedly suspect was self-inflicted. Officers also found a handgun near Sherwood, SDPD says.

After life-saving measures were attempted on the man, he was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, according to SDPD.

While officers were at the residence tending to Sherwood, they reportedly found an 83-year-old woman inside the home who had a gunshot wound to her upper torso. According to SDPD, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and was later identified as Virginia Sherwood, the mother of the 51-year-old.

The two reportedly lived together at the residence.

SDPD’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation and will examine the gun collected at the scene and conduct comparison tests of the rounds and casings recovered.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.