Man Shot Grandmother, His Father's Girlfriend To Death While They Were Opening Their Christmas Presents

A Californian man has been charged with murder after he allegedly brutally shot his grandmother and father's girlfriend to death while they were opening their Christmas presents on Saturday, Dec. 25.

On Christmas day, 23-year-old Austin Alvarez walked into the family home in the 17000 block of Goodfellow Avenue in Reedley, a town about 20 miles southeast of Fresno, and allegedly opened fire and shot both his grandmother Magdalena Alvarez, 58, and his father's girlfriend Meisha Rashid, 39, to death while they were attending to Yuletide festivities. After killing the victims, Alvarez fled the scene in his GMC pickup truck, NBC News reported.

While walking towards his pickup truck, Alvarez reportedly noticed his father sitting in a parked vehicle outside the residence. After seeing him, the suspect opened fire in his direction. However, the father was not hit or injured in the shooting.

"As Alvarez was leaving the house, he noticed his father in a parked vehicle," the sheriff's office said. "Alvarez fired shots in his direction, but did not strike him."

Fresno County sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene after they received a phone call at around 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 25, alerting them about gunshots at a home in Reedley. When the officers reached the Reedley home, they found the two women suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.

Other law enforcement agencies were immediately alerted to look out for Alvarez and his pickup truck. The California Highway Patrol, along with the help of local departments from Reedley, Sanger, Orange Cove, and Kingsburg conducted a combined search for Alvarez and tracked him down to Orange Cove, approximately 10 miles away from the house, the Daily Mail reported.

Following this, Alvarez was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail on two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder. His bail was set at $2.5 million.

Alvarez remains in police custody as of Monday morning, Dec. 27. According to online jail records, it is not immediately clear if Alvarez has a lawyer.

The authorities have not been able to establish Alvarez's motive behind the shooting. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said that investigation into the incident is still underway.

Meanwhile, officers have requested anyone with information regarding the case to contact Detective Richard Antunez at 559-600-8221 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.