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Loving grandmother killed, Vallejo police arrest family member
Darlene Washington was shot and killed in Vallejo in front of her grandchildren, neighbors say. The suspect, a relative, turned himself in for her murder.
VALLEJO, Calif. - Cell phone video from a witness showed Vallejo police officers holding back a grief-stricken woman at the Avian Glen apartments around 11:00 p.m. Monday, just feet away from the spot where a family member said loving grandmother Darlene Washington was shot and killed, right in front of her own grandchildren.
"Oh my god. We cried all day," neighbor Dawn Miller told KTVU. "Deeply saddening."
The family tells KTVU the loving grandmother was gunned down by the man who is the father of her daughter’s children.
Vallejo police said they arrested 28-year-old Anthony Quinn Huff Jr. on a homicide charge, after he turned himself in on Tuesday.
Witnesses said Huff took off after the shooting.
"I looked out my window and I seen a guy running away," a neighbor who did not want to reveal their identity told KTVU. "I heard somebody say, ‘Mom got shot! It’s mom! It’s mom!’ and then she just started screaming."
Neighbor Tiffany Mount was sitting in her car when she heard several shots ring out.
"An innocent loving person," Mount said. "They did not deserve that."
Mount and other neighbors worry about the safety of their own children after other recent shootings nearby and are ready to move.
"I don’t feel safe here with my kids," said Mount.
Sgt. Rashad Hollis said the 57-year-old was shot at least once and first responders did what they could to help her, but she died in the parking lot, devastating the family she leaves behind.
"Very much loved her children and was really only trying to protect her baby," said Miller.
Neighbors said there is a history of domestic violence between Huff and the victim’s daughter.
This marks Vallejo’s 18th homicide this year.