Pair Survives "Bizarre" Attempted Double Murder/Suicide

"RIVERSIDE, CA — A bizarre early morning break-in quickly degenerated Tuesday when a gunman shot at two startled Riverside residents -- both of whom he missed -- and then shot himself in the head in an apparent suicide attempt, police say.

"`Why he did this, I don't know,` Lt. Andy Flores said of the shooter who was taken to Riverside Community Hospital unconscious and in critical condition.

"The gunfire erupted at 5:48 a.m. along the 3100 block of Weatherby Drive, in a residential neighborhood southwest of La Sierra and Indiana Avenues.

"The man's name has not been released.

"`He apparently broke in through a door,` Flores said. `He fired a couple of rounds at the residents there.`

"The two residents -- a man and woman -- retreated to different rooms. She called police.

"`The husband looked out and saw the guy had shot himself and that he was on the floor and that was relayed to us,` Flores said. `They didn't know him, but he lived in the area.`

"Although the motive is unclear, Flores said there's a suspicion that the man was mentally unbalanced."

From The Press-Enterprise...