Son Speaks Out About 65-Year-Old Woman Critically Wounded In Azusa Shooting
AZUSA (CBSLA.com) — The son of a woman who was shot near a polling place in Azusa on election day is speaking out.
The gunman was killed along with another man, his neighbor. The gunman also shot and critically-wounded two women, including a 65-year-old victim named Elidia Dominguez.
On Thursday, KCAL9's Rachel Kim spoke to Dominguez's family.
"It's still very hard to comprehend. We're all in shock, it's hard to believe this happened here," said Carlos Dominguez, Elidia's son.
He spoke to Kim at the same spot his mom was shot on a sidewalk in Azusa Tuesday afternoon. Elidia had just finished voting at her polling place a block away and started heading down Fourth Street.
"She walked out at the wrong time and this guy was out here," Carlos said.
Police say at that time, Carlos Mendez, 45, was outside his house, high on cocaine and randomly shooting people.
Elidia was hit in the torso, another woman driving by was shot in the face -- she ended up crashing into a parked car.
Mendez's next door neighbor, Francis Varney, 77, was shot and killed when he came out to see what was going on.
After Elidia was hit, she managed to get to a neighbor's house where the homeowner called 911. She was airlifted to the hospital.
His mom is on the mend but still hospitalized.
"She's unable to speak but she did open her eyes, she knew that family members are there," Carlos said.
Mendez was killed during a shootout with police. His close friend told Kim that Mendez was an Iraq war veteran who suffered from PTSD and had recently relapsed after battling a drug problem.
"There's definitely a lot of anger. At this point, I can't forgive," said Carlos.
At this point, he said he is just praying for his mom's recovery.
"I love you mom," he said, "just continue to fight. Come home."
Lidia has has two surgeries thus far and remains in critical but stable condition. The other victim, a 59-year-old woman, also remains in critical condition.
A GoFundMe link has been set up to pay for Elidia Dominguez's medical expenses
