A man has been charged with killing his four children and their grandmother, who were found shot to death in a home in Lancaster over the weekend, authorities said Tuesday.
Germarcus David, 29, faces five counts of murder and three counts of assault on a child causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
An arraignment was postponed to Wednesday.
David is suspected of fatally shooting his four children and mother-in-law. They were identified by the L.A. County coroner’s office: Namyiah David, 11; Germarcus David Jr., 7; Kaden David, 2; Noah David, 1; Ericka England, 51.
According to investigators, England had been babysitting her grandkids at a home in the 3500 block of Garnet Lane on Sunday night. The children’s mother was the one who discovered the bodies when she returned home, and she dialed 911.
A neighbor saw the distraught woman a short time later.
“We can hear her screaming over the phone,” Reginald Beltran told KTLA. “The only that that was very clear… she was screaming ‘my babies are dead, my babies are dead.’”
Deputies responded to the scene shortly before 10:30 p.m. and found all five victims had suffered gunshot wounds to the chest area. They were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The following morning, Germarcus David showed up to the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station where he was detained and questioned before being arrested, authorities said.
David was a licensed security guard and held a permit to carry a gun, although that expired in August 2020 and was listed as canceled, according to records from the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which regulates the private security industry.
The suspect didn’t have any restraining orders against him, nor did there appear to be any previous reports of domestic violence at the family’s home, said sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean.
England had been employed as a state corrections officer since 1997, the union that represents corrections officers said. She worked at the state prison in Lancaster when she was killed.
“We are heartbroken to learn about this tragedy and we will do everything we can to support her family,” said Glen Stailey, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. “We are in mourning for our friend and colleague.”
A GoFundMe account has been started to help England’s family with expenses.
