Woman charged with killing boyfriend

Griselle Pizarro, 36, of Evers Court, was charged Sunday with murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in the death of her boyfriend, Jacob Lopez, 33. Griselle Pizarro, 36, of Evers Court, was charged Sunday with murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in the death of her boyfriend, Jacob Lopez, 33. Photo: Contributed Photo: Contributed Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Woman charged with killing boyfriend 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT -- A woman was charged with murder Sunday after police said she fatally shot her boyfriend in a pickup truck at a Jehovah's Witness temple on Huntington Turnpike.

Griselle Pizarro, 36, of Evers Court, was charged with murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in the death of her boyfriend, Jacob Lopez, 33. She was held in lieu of $500,000 bond.

It was the city's 11th homicide of the year.

Neighbors said Pizarro, who worked in a nurse's office, and Lopez, a carpenter, had a history of breaking up and getting back together, and had just recently split up.

According to police, Pizarro said Lopez assaulted her just before she fired several shots into his chest.

"I could hear them fighting all the time," said Fernando Vargas, who lives next door to Pizarro. "The police were here a month ago. She threw him out."

"She is a nice girl, has three kids," Vargas said. "He was a good handyman. He helped me do my kitchen. I know she had a gun and a license for it. That's crazy. That shocked me."

Police on Sunday said officers responded at 1:17 a.m. to the 200 block of Huntington Turnpike and located Lopez outside a light-colored pickup truck. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 a.m.

While en route to the hospital, police said the victim gasped "Griselle shot me."

"We take all gun violence very seriously, and this remains a very active investigation. The priority always is keeping our kids and families safe," Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. said. "The investigation doesn't end with an arrest."

Detectives immediately began investigating and identified the suspect as Pizarro. Investigators went to her house and located her there.

In an interview at police headquarters, police said Pizarro acknowledged she shot Lopez. She stated she and Lopez were in the pickup truck talking and then he physically assaulted her.

She told police that during the assault she took a handgun from her purse and fired several shots. She then fled on foot to her home, where police later located her.

Vargas said he saw the couple "hugging and kissing" just recently and thought they had patched things up.

"She has lived here for about 14 years. He was a nice guy. They were together at least two or three years. I don't know what happened. I guess at the beginning it was good," Vargas said.

"I'm shocked. I didn't think she was capable of doing it," Vargas added.

Police recovered a .40-caliber handgun that is believed to have been used in the shooting. Pizarro told police the couple had a history of domestic violence.

Police were at Pizarro's home Sunday afternoon, a tidy duplex on a dead-end street, searching through the house and removing items. Her car was parked next to the duplex.