Former deputy beats and stabs 3 to death, including mother & sister in BRUTAL ‘rampage’ attack [Police]

A former California sheriff’s custody deputy reportedly beat and stabbed three family members to death he in a gated community before policed killed him during a confrontation on Friday.

David Gerald McNabb, 43, of Santa Barbara, is suspected of killing his mother, 64-year-old Melanie McNabb, his sister, 34-year-old Nicole McNabb, and 64-year-old Carlos Echavarria, KTLA reported, citing authorities. McNabb lived with the victims in a home off of the 5900 block of Oakhill Road, in Orcutt.

Authorities reported to the residence just after 8:00 p.m. Friday after receiving a call from a woman who also lived at the home, Santa County Sheriff’s spokesperson, Kelly Hoover, told the Santa Maria Times. The unidentified female told dispatchers that she “found a person covered in blood in a bathtub.” The caller escaped the grisly scene to seek assistance from officials.

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When police arrived at the home, they reportedly discovered McNabb in possession of a rifle while still inside the residence. They subsequently called for backup from the the “Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team and Sheriff’s Hostage Negotiation Team.”

The Special Enforcement Team gained entry into the home after McNabb allegedly claimed additional people were in the home, Hoover said. A struggle reportedly then ensued with the suspect. Deputies initially shot at the suspect with “less lethal rounds,” including a beanbag shotgun round and a 40 mm impact weapon, according to the VC Star.

Deputies eventually fired a lethal shot at McNabb after he“continued to pose an immediate threat,” according to authorities. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, the suspect was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.  

Detectives discovered the bodies of the reported victims “stabbed and beaten to death” inside the home.  Although an exact motive in the crime isn’t yet clear, McNabb had previous run-ins with the law, including a felony domestic violence conviction in 2014.

Officials said McNabb began working as a custody deputy at the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in July 2001. He voluntarily resigned from the position in March 2012.

An investigation into the triple homicide is ongoing, as well as an investigation into the officer-involved shooting of McNabb, according to the Sheriff’s Office. CrimeOnline will provide further updates as information becomes available.

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[Feature Photo: David McNabb/Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office]