Man Who Killed His 3 Daughters Had Been Arrested Days Before

David Mora was released on bail after assaulting CHP officer
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 2, 2022 1:00 AM CST
4 Days Before Killing His Daughters, Man Was Released on Bail
A memorial for the three young girls, who were slain by their father at The Church in Sacramento, is seen outside the church in Sacramento Calif., Tuesday, March 1, 2022.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The father who fatally shot his three daughters, their chaperone, and himself during a supervised visit at a Sacramento church Monday had been arrested on charges involving violence just days before the tragedy. David Mora, also identified as David Fidel Mora-Rojas, was pulled over for driving drunk Feb. 23 and he ended up assaulting a California Highway Patrol officer, injuring him, a spokesperson for the Merced County Sheriff’s Office tells the Sacramento Bee. Mora faced charges of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer, and driving under the influence, but after spending one night in jail, the 39-year-old posted bail and was released.

Samia, 13, Samantha, who would have turned 11 Wednesday, and Samarah, 9, were killed days later along with Nathaniel Kong, 59, who was supervising the court-ordered visit. Kong was a family friend, not a social worker or court liaison, KCRA reports. Mora's estranged girlfriend had last year sought a domestic violence restraining order against Mora, and a five-year one was issued May 19. Other than visits supervised by a member of the former couple's church, he was barred from being within 100 yards of her or their daughters, and he was not allowed to possess any firearms. It is not clear how he obtained the AR-15-style assault rifle used in the slayings. The girls' mother had accused him of mental instability as well as violence, and a judge ordered him to take anger management classes if he wanted to apply for unsupervised visits. (More Sacramento stories.)

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