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Francisco Escobar, suspect in shooting |
Stafford County authorities are looking for a man who they said shot and killed his wife Friday afternoon in their driveway.
Francisco Escobar, 45, is charged with first-degree murder.
Authorities found Escobar’s car Friday night several blocks from the couple’s Argyle Hills home. Residents were notified Escobar might be in the area, and deputies were checking homes for the suspect and flying over the area in a helicopter.
Escobar is accused of killing his 42-year-old wife, Alva Escobar, less than 48 hours after he was arrested and jailed in connection with an assault on her.
Sheriff Charles Jett said an emergency protective order was issued against Escobar following a Wednesday night incident at the home.
He said Escobar was released on bond out of the Rappahannock Regional Jail Thursday and ordered to stay away from the woman and the home.
But he showed up showed up at their home at 33 Rubins Walk about 2:30 p.m. Friday, about the same time his wife pulled into the driveway with her teenage son.
Sheriff Charles Jett said when deputies arrived Alva Escobar was lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to her chest.
A Toyota RAV4 sitting in the driveway had a bullet hole in the driver’s side window and two holes in the front windshield. Police at the scene would not say if the victim was still in the car when the shooting began.
Neighbors reported hearing about five shots overall. They also reported hearing a car leaving quickly after the shooting stopped.
Alva Escobar was rushed to Mary Washington Hospital, where she died.
Jett said police have witnesses to the shooting, but said he was not prepared to talk about their statements at this point. The teenage boy was among those interviewed at the scene.
Deputies closed down the area for a while during the early part of the investigation, temporarily delaying school buses and area residents.
Escobar is described as a Hispanic male with black hair, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds.
Escobar has family in the Fredericksburg area and in Prince William County, Jett said.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 658-4400 or Crime Solvers at 659-2020.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
kepps@freelancestar.com
