LODI, Calif. — A Galt mother was home alone with her small child Monday morning when a man broke into her house.
She dialed 911; Galt Police Department responded and arrested the man.
But what she – and the police – didn’t know at the time was that the man was a suspect in a deadly workplace shooting days earlier in Lodi.
Lodi police say they were notified that the suspect, 25-year-old Frank Avila, had been identified by fingerprints when he was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
“We knew who he was rather quickly after the incident occurred, and it was just a matter of time before we found him,” said Lodi Police Sgt. Matt Latino.
That arrest ended an intense, days-long search for the man suspected of shooting a coworker at Holz Rubber on Friday afternoon.
A small memorial outside the shop honors the life of the victim, 33-year-old Coty Bruhn.
Lodi police believe Avila walked in on Friday afternoon, shot Bruhn multiple times, then left.
Investigators are still seeking a motive, but are considering whether Bruhn’s status as a registered sex offender for crimes against minors in San Joaquin County played a role.
Lodi police say they don’t believe Avila had any connection to the family in Galt whose home he’s accused of breaking into. But they say that mother and child were fortunate to be unharmed.
“If you have someone that’s wanted for homicide, that the police are actively looking for, then yeah, 100%, they were certainly at risk,” Sgt. Latino said.
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