Workplace homicide suspect found sleeping in Sacramento County home he broke into, police say
A man wanted on suspicion of homicide in a workplace shooting last week in Lodi was captured three days later in a nearby Sacramento County town after he reportedly broke into a home and was found sleeping in a guest bedroom, law enforcement officials said.
The fatal shooting was reported about 2:10 p.m. Friday at the Holz Rubber Company facility, 1129 South Sacramento St., a few blocks west of Highway 99, according to the Lodi Police Department. It was initially reported as an “active shooter” incident, meaning there was some belief the shooting suspect was still on the premises.
Officers arrived within minutes and asked for help from law enforcement agencies in the area, Lodi police said. Officials from the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Stockton Police Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the scene to assist Lodi police.
One shooting victim was found; he died from his injuries. The San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday confirmed the shooting victim was Coty Bruhn, 33, of Stockton.
Police said the fatal shooting appeared to be targeted. Investigators in Lodi later identified 35-year-old Frank Elijah Avila, of Stockton, as the shooting suspect.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Monday, the Galt Police Department received a report of a suspect trying to break into the back door of a home on Sugarwood Court. Officers arrived, entered through home’s backyard and found a broken door.
Galt police said the officers then entered the home and found a man, later identified as Avila, sleeping under a pile of clothing in a guest bedroom.
Avila initially refused to identify himself and was taken into custody, according to Galt police. Avila was then booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail. During the booking process, jail staff identified Avila and discovered he had a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of homicide in connection with the Lodi shooting.
On Wednesday afternoon, Avila remained in custody at the jail in downtown Sacramento. His charges stemming from the reported Galt break-in include a felony charge of burglary and a misdemeanor charge of obstruction, jail records show.
Valerie Quintana of Stockton has created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses for Bruhn. She wrote in the online fundraiser page that Bruhn was “gunned down while at work, he didn’t deserve to go that way.”
It remains unclear whether Avila also worked at Holz Rubber Company. The Lodi Police Department has not released any further details about the workplace shooting.
Dana Addington, a Holz Rubber Company human resources representative, declined to say whether Avila was an employee there.
“We’re just not going to comment,” Addington said Wednesday. “We’re letting the police take care of it.”
