California Shooting: Twin Teens Killed After Mother's Ex-Boyfriend Opens Fire At Home, Suspect Arrested

Twin 15-year-old girls were killed and a man was injured in a shooting incident that took place in Lemon Grove, California, on Wednesday (April 15) afternoon.

According to local reports, police arrived at a neighborhood on Central Avenue near New Jersey Avenue after receiving reports of gunshots being fired. The mother of the girls told the officers that her ex-boyfriend, whom she had broken up with a week ago, had opened fire at her two daughters inside her home. She said she managed to escape with the other kids.

"I grabbed the little kids and ran out the back because I knew I couldn't do anything for my daughters," the unidentified mother said.

Following a search, the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Dwayne Groves Jr., was taken into custody half an hour after the shooting took place. He was found in the backyard of a home, a few houses away from where the shooting took place. He was charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon and booked into San Diego County Central Jail. Police confirmed that the suspect was in a relationship with the mother of the victims, whose names were not revealed. No information was available about the third person who was injured in the shooting.

The girls were 10th-grade students at Helix High School and played for the school's basketball team.

Speaking to local media, a family friend said the girls were loving people.

"We were family growing up together, playing outside together, you know, just living our life. They were kind, caring and always found a way to put a smile on your face even when you were down,” the family friend said.

A GoFundMe account was created to help the family raise money for their funeral arrangements.

“The most sweetest and humblest twins you would ever meet. Always smiling and happy. And so loved,” the organizer of the fundraiser said about the girls.

Police were investigating the incident and were yet to find out the motive behind the crime. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has asked anyone with any information to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330.