Man Shoots His Friend Then Kills Himself

THOUSAND OAKS — A 25-year-old man shot and killed himself Wednesday morning at his Newbury Park home, a few hours after shooting an 18-year-old friend in a nearby park, authorities said.

Andres Contreras was found dead at 8:40 a.m. by his mother in the backyard of a home he shared with her and his brother on the 600 block of Debbie Street, deputies said.

Contreras’ death appears to be a suicide, said Sgt. Claude Robillard of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

Contreras’ friend, Thomas Wang, was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Witnesses told deputies they saw Contreras shoot Wang three times in the right shoulder at Wendy Park, about a mile south of Contreras’ home, Robillard said. Contreras then fled, and Wang staggered to a nearby house, where he asked for help, Robillard said.

Deputies on Wednesday were still trying to determine the motive for the shootings. Wang at first declined to say who shot him, but later said it was Contreras, authorities said.

Sgt. Steve Bourke said Wang refused to say what prompted the shooting, but told police that he and Contreras had been friends, Bourke said.

Down the street from Contreras’ house, neighbors watched as officials wheeled his body from the backyard.

“He kept to himself,” said Randolph Denton, who lives across the street from the Contreras home. “They seemed like a quiet family.”