At least one person died Monday afternoon on the 31000 block of Sherman Rd. in Menifee in what authorities described as a homicide. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the incident happened just before 4 p.m. in a residential area after deputies responded to reports of a domestic disturbance. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

It is unclear which one of the four homes cordoned off is where at least one person died Monday afternoon, on the 31000 block of Sherman Rd. on Monday, April, 6, 2020. It was homocide, according to police. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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At least one person died Monday afternoon on the 31000 block of Sherman Rd. in Menifee in what authorities described as a homicide. The well-manicured neighborhood is surrounded by open spaces. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the incident happened just before 4 p.m. in a residential area after deputies responded to reports of a domestic disturbance. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

At the top of the hill on the 31000 block of Sherman Rd. in Menifee at least one person died in what authorities classify as homicide. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the incident happened just before 4 p.m. Deputies responded to reports of a domestic disturbance. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

At least one person died Monday afternoon on the 31000 block of Sherman Rd. in Menifee in what authorities classify as homicide. Only law enforcement roamed passed the yellow tape. No residents were spotted. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the incident happened just before 4 p.m. Deputies responded to reports of a domestic disturbance. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



Four people died at a Menifee home Monday, April 6, in what the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said was a murder-suicide.

The crime, initially reported as a domestic violence incident, happened just before 4 p.m. in a residential area in the 31000 block of Sherman Road. Deputies contacted a man who said he had shot his family. He refused to come out and surrender.

While negotiating with the man, deputies heard a gunshot in the home. They entered and found a man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and three others who had been shot. Two of those victims were pronounced dead; a third died at a hospital, a news release said.

The names of the deceased had not been publicly announced as of Tuesday evening.

It was unclear whether any other family members were home at the time.

At Menifee City Hall, the slayings highlighted what officials already saw was a need for a mental-health hotline that residents can call during the coronavirus pandemic, City Manager Armando Villa said.

The plan to create a hotline was already underway before Monday. On Tuesday, Villa held another meeting about the hotline. He said he hoped to announce details this week on the city’s website, cityofmenifee.us, and Facebook page, City of Menifee-City Hall.

“With the pandemic, it’s feeling like a slow fog that keeps rolling in and getting darker and darker,” Villa said. “One of the things that was discovered this week is that there’s a heck of a lot of people that are getting bored, they’re getting antsy and getting depressed mentally. … We’re trying to get ahead of this before it gets worse.”

Villa said he knew little about the murder-suicide other than it involved a family.

“When this tragedy happened, it made us think it might be related to the virus. … We are trying to get some level of help out there that really gives that level support to those people who are feeling depressed, feeling off,” he said.

Investigators ask anyone with information on the case to call the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.