2 Dead In Napa Shooting; Arrest Made After Standoff

NAPA, CA — A man and a woman were shot dead Thursday outside a Napa residence, and an arrest was made in connection with their deaths, the Napa Police Department said.

Police were notified at 9:45 a.m. about a shooting that had just occurred in the 700 block of Lincoln Avenue. When patrol officers arrived, they found a male resident of American Canyon and a female resident of Napa both suffering from gunshot wounds outside a residence.

Emergency medical personnel and additional officers responded and began life-saving efforts but were not able to revive the victims. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Napa Major Crimes Task Force was activated, and investigators began diligently working on the case. Within hours, they identified the person believed to be responsible as Baltazar Rangel Juarez, 28, of Napa.

Around 1:30 p.m., a Napa police officer saw Juarez driving a car near the intersection of Juarez and 2nd streets and initiated a traffic stop. Juarez drove away, ignoring the officer's lights and sirens, police said.

Multiple officers joined the chase as Juarez eventually drove his car into Kennedy Park, where it stopped operating. Members of the Napa Police Department and Napa County Sheriff’s Office responded to Kennedy Park within minutes to take him into custody.

Juarez refused to get out of the car; instead, he armed himself with a gun, police said.

"Multiple attempts were made to have the suspect disarm himself and exit the vehicle," Napa police Detective Dustin Dodd said . "The suspect continuously refused to surrender and ultimately suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Juarez was provided medical aid at the scene as he was taken into custody. Juarez also received treatment at a local hospital.

"Due to formalities in the investigation, we will not release the names of the victims until their identities are confirmed by the Napa Sheriff’s Office Coroner," Dodd said.

Police said although Kennedy Park was cleared of police activity around 9 p.m. Thursday, the homicide investigation was still active.

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"While we have made an arrest, we still want to speak with witnesses and collect any digital evidence that citizens may have," Dodd said.

Police encouraged anyone who may be a witness or who has additional information or photographic or video surveillance to contact Dodd at 707-257-9568 or ddodd@cityofnapa.org.