A Southern California father is accused of fatally gunning down his toddler’s mother during a custody exchange Sunday night outside a police department, authorities said.
Jacob Munn, 30, was charged with the murder of Brenda Renteria, 28. His bail was set at $2 million, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Munn and Renteria planned on meeting at the Hawthorne Police Department, south of downtown Los Angeles, to hand off their 17-month-old. As she approached the department’s front door, Munn appeared with a shotgun and fired, striking Renteria, police said.
Munn fled the scene and abandoned his car four blocks away, according to police. He was taken into custody three hours later less than a mile away.
The toddler was not injured, the department said.
It wasn't immediately clear if Munn has a lawyer.
A man who said he was Renteria’s uncle told NBC Los Angeles that Renteria and Munn both lived in other areas but met at the Hawthorne Police Department because it was it was a midway point.
Renteria’s mother, who was with her when she was killed, also lived in Hawthorne, the station reported.
Hawthorne police Chief Michael Ishii said that law enforcement agencies are often the sites of custody exchanges because they’re public spaces, the station reported.
But, Ishii added, “We are not supervising them.”
