Elias Huizar, a disgraced former school cop, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a harrowing series of events that left his ex-wife and teenage girlfriend dead, according to Oregon State Police.
Huizar, 39, had been on the run after allegedly shooting his ex-wife Amber Rodriguez at William Wiley Elementary school in West Richland, Washington on Monday afternoon during dismissal.
The couple’s nine-year-old son told police that he watched his father shoot his mother several times in the tragic incident.
Police searching for Huizar later found a second victim, his 17-year-old girlfriend Angelica ‘Jelly’ Santos, dead in his home, which was located on the same block as the school.
First-degree murder charges were quickly filed against Huizar, along with aggravated circumstance allegations of domestic violence and firearm enhancements, as law enforcement across Washington and Oregon, as well as federal agencies, launched a manhunt.
The pursuit of Huizar’s vehicle eventually led to a high-speed chase on Interstate 5 in Oregon, where troopers at one point exchanged gunfire with him before his car crashed into a commercial vehicle.
When troopers approached Huizar’s immobilized vehicle in the median, they found that he had taken his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Oregon State Trooper Kyle Kennedy confirmed at a press conference.
Huizar’s one-year-old son with Angelica Santos, named Roman, was found safe and is now in the care of Oregon officials, who expressed relief that the child was unharmed.
The former school cop had a disturbing history, as he was due in court on Monday to face child rape charges for allegedly raping his underage girlfriend and her 16-year-old friend.
According to court filings, Huizar had met the 17-year-old girlfriend when he was a school resource officer in Yakima, and he is accused of impregnating her when she was just 15 years old.
Huizar’s ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, had recently filed for a modification of their custody agreement and a protection order, citing concerns for the safety of their children due to Huizar’s alleged instability and possession of firearms.
Rodriguez, who worked at the school where she was killed, had not been aware of Huizar’s relationship with the teenage girl until he was charged with rape, according to the protection order petition.
The Richland School District, where Huizar had worked as a substitute teacher, said they were unaware of his past issues and had received positive recommendations from the Yakima School District before hiring him in 2022.
Huizar’s former girlfriend’s family initially believed she had been abducted alongside her son, but later confirmed the tragic news of her death, with her brother Damien Santos writing, “It breaks my heart to write this but unfortunately my sister has passed away at the young age of 17.”
The former school cop had a history of alleged misconduct, as the Yakima Police Department confirmed he left their department in 2021 “after receiving discipline,” though they provided no further details.
Huizar’s troubled past included a previous protection order obtained by a teenage girl he had met as a school resource officer, who claimed he had contacted her, downloaded photos, and taken covert photos of him and his then-wife.
The age of consent in Washington is 16, but police were investigating whether Huizar had engaged in sexual activity with the 17-year-old girlfriend before she reached that age.
Huizar was charged with second-degree rape, furnishing alcohol to minors, and third-degree rape over his relationship with the 17-year-old, and had been released on $200,000 bail with stipulations not to contact the teens or consume alcohol.
The tragic events unfolded on Monday afternoon at William Wiley Elementary school, where Huizar allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife Amber Rodriguez during dismissal, with a resident reporting hearing four to five gunshots in the area.
The Richland School District sent an alert to parents confirming the shooting at the school, which left no other students or staff injured, as the community grappled with the devastating loss of two young lives and the traumatic impact on the children involved.
