Authorities ID Woman Shot Dead in Temecula Home

This post was written by Patch Editor Maggie Avants with contributions from Patch Editor Toni McAllister.

New information has been provided in what authorities are calling a domestic shooting that occurred early Thursday morning in a Temecula home, leaving a woman dead.

The victim has been identified as Dana Houston, 51, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.

Authorities found Houston's body just after 6 a.m Thursday when they forced entry into a home in the 30200 block of Del Rey Road in the Meadowview community of Temecula.

They also found a man suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man, whose identity remained withheld, was transported to a local hopsital. He was in critical but stable condition as of Friday, Riverside County sheriff's Lt. Joe Borja stated in a news release.

"There are no outstanding suspects at this time and the case is considered domestic in nature," Borja stated.

Authorities responded to the home shortly after 5:56 a.m. Thursday. Sheriff's dispatchers had taken a call from "a concerned friend," sheriff's Cpl. Angel Ramos told Patch.

The information received was that a male had shot a female inside the location, with a firearm, according to sheriff's officials.

"The call did not come from inside the home," Ramos wrote, in an emailed response to Patch.

Sheriff's homicide investigators were on scene at the white house on Del Rey Road until about 9 p.m. Thursday.

The upscale neighborhood features horses, well-kept yards, and ranch fencing, where neighbors say they are busy with their lives and respect each others' privacy.

"It's quiet here. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves," said next-door neighbor Ron Wiggins on Thursday. Wiggins said he never heard any arguing between the couple.

The couple had lived at the residence for about 15 years, according to Wiggins.

"That's my best guess," he said, admitting he barely knew the pair. "It's funny, you don't always know your neighbors."

Temecula police had surrounded the home within minutes of Thursday morning's call.

"The officers made numerous attempts to contact the subjects inside of the residence, asking them to step outside of the home, but received no response," Borja stated. "Fearing for the safety of the occupants inside, the officers decided to make entry into the home."

Once inside, a woman, now identified as Houston, was found suffering from obvious gunshot wounds, Borja stated. She was pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m. Thursday, according to the coroner's incident report. 

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department Central Homicide Unit and investigators from the Temecula Police Department continue to investigate the death. Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Homicide Investigator Corey at 951-955-2777 or Temecula police Investigator Mejia at 951-696-3000.