A respected police captain and a city clerk died of gunshot wounds inside a California apartment building.
Los Alamitos Police Capt. Rick Moore, 49, and Westminster City Clerk Amanda Jensen, 37, were found dead in a possible murder suicide in a Seal Beach apartment building.
Moore was a former military police officer, and both he and Jensen were involved in charity work in their communities.
The deaths are under investigation.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Moore & Jensen Recently Broke Up, Reports Said
Capt. Rick Moore of the Los Alamitos Police Department.
What led the relationship to rupture into likely murder?
According to The Orange County Register, it’s believed that Moore and Jensen were dating but had recently broken up. Both were found shot to death inside Moore’s apartment building, the newspaper reported.
“I feel safe saying they were in a dating relationship,” Seal Beach Sgt. Michael Henderson told The Orange County Register. “But they had broken up.”
The maintenance man in the apartment building told the newspaper the pair had a volatile relationship. KTLA reported that the two had lived together for about four months and “had a number of domestic disputes during that time.” Police had been called to Moore’s previous home three times for domestic disputes, with Moore listed as a victim in one and Jensen in the others, but no arrests were made.
Police initially surrounded Moore’s apartment assuming there might be a barricaded gunman inside, but eventually, when they entered the residence, they found both Moore and Jensen dead inside of gunshot wounds, according to Los Alamitos Patch.
2. Police Received a Call for Help From the Apartment
One of two bodies transported to OC Coroner after being found inside Seal Beach apartment and hours-long standoff
There was a warning sign before the deaths: Police received a frantic call for help from inside the apartment building.
“Police received a call about 7:20 p.m. Sunday from a woman in an apartment near 7th Street and Central Avenue who requested officers’ assistance,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
The call disconnected, and by the time officers arrived, it was too late. Although police haven’t specified who pulled the trigger, the Orange County Register reported that Jensen made the call for help.
When police arrived after receiving the call, witnesses told them they had heard gunshots emanate from the apartment, reported Los Alamitos Patch.
Screaming was also heard.
3. Jensen Was an Assistant in the Office Before Rising to the City Clerk Position & Was a Girl Scout Troop Leader
West Orange County SWAT officers from Los Alamitos pulled away from incident involving their captain t.co/Bb06m5FV2v
Amanda Jensen was the Westminster, California city clerk for 1 year and 10 months, assuming the position in October 2015, according to her LinkedIn page.
She was the assistant city clerk for Westminster for more than nine years before that.
Her LinkedIn page also says she was a Girl Scout leader and an American Cancer Society event chair for the Westminster Relay for Life.
4. Moore Served in the U.S. Army Before Becoming a Cop
FacebookA 2011 photo of Rick Moore from when he was a detective corporal.
Rick Moore oversaw the Los Alamitos Police Department’s operations bureau.
“The Operations Division is overseen by Police Captain Rick Moore,” the department’s website still reads. “The Operations Division is comprised of those activities that are directly related to field enforcement. In addition to the patrol function, this division encompasses the Traffic Bureau, Personnel and Training, the Reserve Officer Program, Public Information, Emergency Preparedness, and Professional Standards.”
According to LinkedIn, Rick Moore had been a captain with the Los Alamitos Police Department since August 2015.
Before that, he served as a detective corporal for the department for 5 years and six months. He conducted “criminal investigations” and served as “emergency services coordinator, CERT coordinator, and primarily background investigator.”
Before becoming a police officer, Moore served in the U.S. Army for 12 years as a military police officer, his LinkedIn page says. He was twice divorced.
He was a member of the Board of Directors for the Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos, and, for 10 years, he had been an adjunct faculty/recruit training officer at the Golden West College Criminal Justice training Center in Huntington Beach, California.
Moore attended Columbia College, receiving a Masters of Science in Criminal Justice and Corrections and had a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from California State University-Long Beach, according to LinkedIn.
On LinkedIn, he had liked some pro Donald Trump and anti-Hillary and Bill Clinton messages. One unfavorably compared Hillary Clinton’s appearance to that of Ivanka Trump.
5. Shocked Colleagues Had Only Positive Things to Say About Moore & Jensen
Police Say 2 Bodies Found In Seal Beach Apartment Is Result Of Murder-Suicide t.co/F4IuFQ0BJM
What’s shocked people in Westminster and Los Alamitos is that Moore and Jensen were well regarded before the tragedy.
Shelley Hasselbrink, the Los Alamitos mayor, told the Orange County Register that Moore was “a terrific police officer.”
Chet Simmons, the assistant city manager in Westminster, told the newspaper of Jensen: “I was devastated when I heard. She was one of those people who is always thinking of everyone else first.”
Westminster Mayor Tri Ta told KTLA: “We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic loss of our city clerk, Amanda Jensen…She was a great employee. She will be missed greatly.”