Man who killed 2 people in Fowler shot himself before hitting train, authorities say

The man who killed two people in Fowler died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before crashing into a train, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

The sheriff’s office identified Carlos Cruz, 25, of Parlier as the shooter who killed 42-year-old Rafael Garcia and his 16-year-old son, Jonathan Garcia, on Saturday in their Fowler home.

Cruz’s estranged wife is related to the Garcias and was at the home Saturday, sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said. Cruz was there several hours before a disturbance around 5 p.m. that ended with Cruz killing the Garcias. He then fled the house in a black Subaru.

Shortly at 5:30 p.m., Reedley police saw a black Subaru matching the description of Cruz’s vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop.

The driver, later identified as Cruz, refused to stop and led officers on a chase going west in the eastbound lanes of Manning Avenue at a high rate of speed. Officers found the Subaru crashed into a passing train. First-responders found Cruz dead inside the car with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. A handgun was also recovered at the crash site, Botti said.

Cruz was arrested on May 15 on a charge of domestic violence and three other charges. Botti said the other charges were eligible for zero dollar bail, leaving Cruz with a bail amount of $25,000. Cruz posted bond and was released from jail that same day.