Visalia police say they have been called out to respond to numerous disturbances involving the family. Friday when they responded to the house for a suicide they knew something did not seem right.
Last Friday afternoon at around 3:30 p.m. emergency crews rushed to this house on South Lovers Lane where 24-year-old Adolfo Vasquez was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest.
He was rushed to Kaweah Delta Medical Center where he died from the injuries. Officers say two of Vasquez's siblings were at the house at the time of the shooting. One of them, a 17-year old brother, told police Vasquez killed himself.
"It was a fairly hectic scene. You have this individual who was suffering from that gunshot wound to the torso. So, the initial accounts did vary. One of the accounts was that he had shot himself," Sgt. Ozzie Dominguez with the Visalia Police Department said.
Dominguez said officers who responded felt the scene didn't match up with a typical suicide.
"Just was not in line with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Not just with the location of the wound but the type of weapon that may have been used," Dominguez said.
A lengthy weekend investigation led officers to arrested Vasquez's 17-year-old brother for the murder. Investigators say police have been called out numerous times to resolve disputes within the family in the past, some even between the two brothers.
Since the suspect is a minor his criminal history isn't made public, but Action News discovered the victim has history of violence, including spousal abuse, assault and obstructing an officer.
"It was not uncommon for us to respond to this address to this family's residence and deal with disturbances," Dominguez said.
Officers will submit their case to DA's office this week. The teen could be arraigned on the charges by Wednesday.
