A 43-year-old man on probation accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife at her Covina apartment was in custody Thursday.
Officers were called to the 1300 block of West San Bernardino Road Wednesday afternoon and discovered the woman down in her apartment, suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Covina police Lt. Ric Walczak.
Maria Perez, 42, of Covina died at the scene, the coroner’s office reported.
Detectives interviewed several witnesses and family members and were able to identify the victim’s ex-husband, Miguel Angel Prieto, as a possible suspect, Walczak said.
Prieto, who drives a distinct black work van, was spotted in the van by detectives in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Long Beach, where he resides, Walczak said. He was taken into custody there without incident and a revolver was recovered from his van, according to Walczak.
Prieto, who was on probation stemming from a 2015 assault with a deadly weapon arrest that occurred at that same Covina apartment where the victim was killed, was booked at the Covina Police Department Jail on suspicion of murder, Walczak said.
Prieto is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, police said.