A suspect remained behind bars Monday in connection with the deaths of two brothers and a woman who was engaged to one of them, a crime that came to light when two of the victims were found mortally wounded at Westfield Mission Valley shopping center following the Christmas Eve shooting.
Carlo Gallopa Mercado, 29, was taken into custody Friday night in Mira Mesa on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder, according to San Diego police.
During a briefing Monday, Police Chief Shelly Zimmerman described the killings as a “tragedy felt by the entire San Diego community” and a devastating ordeal for the families of the victims.
Investigators found “substantial probable cause” linking Mercado to the slayings, homicide Lt. Mike Hastings said. He declined to elaborate and provided few additional details.
In response to a question about whether the suspect and victims knew each other or had any other prior connections, the lieutenant said, “I’m not sure there was any relation.”
Mercado’s arrest came nearly six months after Ilona Flint and Salvatore Belvedere, both 22, were found fatally shot shortly before 1:30 a.m. Dec. 24 at the Camino del Rio North mall, which was open late for last-minute holiday shopping.
Flint managed to call 911 shortly before she died at the scene. Belvedere died at a hospital two days later.
Gianni Belvedere, 24, Flint’s fiance, was missing for several weefs following the shootings. In mid-January, his body was found in the trunk of a car outside a fast-foot restaurant in Riverside. He also had been shot in the head.
A day after the elder Belvedere brother’s body was found, Mercado was stopped at a North County checkpoint, where officers confiscated weapons and a silencer, U-T San Diego reported.
He was initially charged with possession of an assault weapon and a silencer, manufacturing a large-capacity magazine and having a concealed weapon in the vehicle. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possessing the silencer, and prosecutors dropped the remaining charges, the newspaper reported.
Mercado was being held without bail at San Diego Central Jail, with arraignment scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Over the weekend, the suspect was hospitalized. Authorities declined to disclose why he needed medical treatment.
– City News Service
