SAN DIEGO — The man accused of killing two people Wednesday and then getting into a gun battle with San Diego Harbor Police has been identified as 26-year-old Christopher Farrell.
According to court records, the two victims, a 31-year-old woman and her 39-year-old husband, had filed restraining orders against Farrell. San Diego Police have since identified the victims as Rachael Martinez, 31, and Jose Medina, 39.
According to court documents obtained by CBS 8, all three people were due in court at 9:00 a.m. The shooting unfolded just after 8:30 a.m., about two blocks from the downtown courthouse, as the victims were sitting in their car.
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CBS 8 has learned Farrell had previously had a romantic relationship with the 31-year-old female.
The three were downtown for the court hearing over a restraining order that Martinez filed against Farrell.
Reads a statement from the San Diego Police Department, "Rachel Martinez (victim) and Christopher Farrell (suspect) had a prior dating relationship. On October 4, 2024, Martinez filed a police report with San Diego Police accusing Farrell of domestic violence, including false imprisonment and sex crimes. The investigating officers obtained an emergency protective order. They determined that Farrell was a security guard who worked for Inter-Con Security, which provides contract security guards for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. They responded to the MTS 3 office at 1600 Newton, arrested Farrell, and booked him into County Jail. Farrell was terminated from employment then, and his work firearm was taken from him."
On Thursday, one day after the shooting, CBS 8 saw San Diego Police at Farrell's trailer in Paradise Hills.
After the shooting Wednesday, Farrell was spotted by witnesses in Little Italy near Kettner and Juniper, just outside of the Crack Shack Restaurant. A police helicopter was circling above, describing the suspect as a man wearing blue jeans, a green shirt and a hat.
Nick, a Juniper and Ivy employee who declined to give his last name, said he saw a man who fit that description crouched behind an electrical box. He noticed the man was holding a cell phone.
"I knew he heard the chopper and I heard the chopper, I was like 'Oh man, does he know I know who he is?'" said Nick.
He said the suspect looked at him and said, "Hi."
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh! That's him! What do I do? I gotta call the cops!'" he said.
"Next thing I know, cop cars are coming down the road, and I just hollered out to them, 'Hey! Stop! Stop!' They stopped, and I'm like, 'Hey, he's right around the corner!'" he added.
Another witness's cell phone video, captured across the trolley tracks, shows Farrell up against a cement wall outside the Crack Shack.
"I hear them yell, 'Put the gun down! Put the gun down!' and then just a firefight started," said Nick.
In the video, you can hear the sound of at least 20 gunshots. A San Diego Harbor Police Officer was wounded but is expected to make a full recovery.
According to San Diego Police, Farrell was shot several times. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
There are still bullet holes in the electrical box Nick said Farrell was initially hiding behind.
"These bullet holes are gonna be here awhile. It's gonna be creepy," said Nick.