Elizabeth Ortega tried to get out. That much is clear from the home video police pulled. She was 50 years old. She lived in the 2000 block of SE Oxmoor Terrace in Port St. Lucie with Ralph Varela Sr. and their adult son. The couple had been together a long time. They were splitting up.
Around 7:30 Saturday night the son stepped out to grab dinner. No fight had broken out before he left. Things stayed quiet inside the house until he was gone.
Police say Varela then grabbed an AR-style .223 rifle. He started shooting at Ortega inside the home. She ran for the front door and made it into the yard. He kept firing as she fled.
Video from the house shows her moving fast across the grass before she went down. Officers found her with several gunshot wounds. They flew her to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital. She died there from the injuries.
Varela walked back into the house after the shooting. Police later found him dead from a gunshot wound that looked self-inflicted.
Detectives are still working the scene and waiting on the medical examiner. The Port St. Lucie Police Department said it was a domestic case with no wider threat. They offered condolences to Ortega’s family and friends.
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