Authorities ID suspect, victims in Baldwin Park backyard shooting

Authorities on Tuesday identified a woman who was killed along with her son in a backyard shooting incident in Baldwin Park, and detectives continued their investigation into the killings.

The shooting was reported at 9:22 p.m. Sunday in the 4200 block of Merced Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which was assisting Baldwin Park police in the investigation.

Yesli Velazquez Gonzalez, 23, of Baldwin Park died at the scene, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported. The name of the boy was withheld, pending notification of his relatives. He is believed to have been about 5 or 6 years old.

Baldwin Park police responding to multiple calls of gunshots heard in the area found the woman and the boy in a backyard suffering from gunshot wounds to their upper bodies, sheriff’s Deputy Tracy Koerner said.

“Detectives believe this is a domestic-related incident, and the suspect fled the scene,” Koerner said.

On Monday, sheriff’s Lt. Omar Camacho told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that the suspect being sought in the killings is Rigoberto Covarrubias, 36, who was the woman’s boyfriend but not the boy’s father. No arrest had been reported by the sheriff’s department as of Tuesday morning.

Anyone with information on this backyard shooting and possible domestic violence case was asked to call homicide detectives at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

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