Crime and Public Safety | Man wanted for killing his parents in San Juan Capistrano approached deputy with water meter before being shot, footage shows

A 41-year-old man suspected of murdering his parents and their dog in their San Juan Capistrano mobile home last month was carrying a water meter when he was shot and wounded by a sheriff's deputy, according to body-worn camera footage released Friday, Aug. 23.

At about 7:30 a.m. on July 9, a 911 caller reported receiving text messages from a family member that contained images of critically injured relatives, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The woman asked authorities to check on her elderly relatives who lived near the 32000 block of Alipaz Street in San Juan Mobile Estates.

When officers arrived, they were met with a horrific sight: 79-year-old Antoinette Gerdvil and 77-year-old Ronald Walter Gerdvil were found headless and mutilated in the house along with the couple's dog.

“There’s a head on the counter,” an officer from the operations center said in the video of the critical incident.

Joseph Brandon Gerdvil was identified as the family member who sent the text messages and fled before authorities arrived. He had a history of violence and suffered from mental health issues, the 911 caller said.

Shortly thereafter, a maintenance worker reported that a bloodied man had attacked him, stolen his golf cart and fled down a nearby bike path.

A social services officer spotted Gerdvil in the car and began a pursuit. Gerdvil stopped the car at one point to throw a shovel at the officer's vehicle. The officer remained in his vehicle and was not injured.

The pursuit ended on Calle Arroyo, nearly three miles from the trailer park, when he stopped the golf cart and walked toward a deputy. The deputy ordered Gerdvil, who was armed with the water meter, to stop and throw himself on the ground several times before shooting him at least twice.

According to body-worn footage, Gerdvil sang the lyrics to Tina Turner's “What's Love Got to Do with It” while authorities performed life-saving measures on him.

He was arrested on suspicion of both murders and remained in hospital on Friday.

The motive for the murders was still not clear Friday, and it was unclear what weapon was used in the killings.