Child’s Mother Killed By Father During Custody Exchange at Police Station

Authorities said a man shot and killed the mother of his child during a scheduled custody exchange in front of a Southern California police station on Sunday.

The couple had planned a custody exchange of their 17-month-old daughter in front of the Hawthorne Police Department around 6:00 p.m. As the 27-year-old woman and her mother approached the station to take custody of the little girl, her father allegedly appeared and killed her with a shotgun.

The man exchanged gunfire with the police, then fled the scene in his truck before abandoning it to try and escape on foot. He was found hiding in an auto parts store shortly afterward, at about 9:00 p.m. Fortunately, neither the child nor her grandmother were harmed.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is assisting the Hawthorne Police Department with the case.