Man Shoots Estranged Wife Dead Outside Denny's in Madera County, California

David Moreno, 51, allegedly shot his estranged wife Brittney Harris multiple times in a Denny's parking lot after the two had eaten breakfast together.

California Man Arrested After Fatally Shooting Estranged Wife Outside Denny's

A 51-year-old man allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife in the parking lot of a Denny's restaurant in Madera County, California, shortly after the two finished eating breakfast together inside, Law & Crime reports.

David Moreno was taken into custody over the weekend in connection with the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Brittney Harris. According to a news release from the Madera County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the area of Avenue 18½ and Golden State Boulevard at approximately 11:30 a.m. after receiving multiple reports of a woman being shot.

First responders found Harris inside a vehicle in the Denny's parking lot, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies began lifesaving measures before emergency medical personnel transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"Investigators did determine that this was a domestic violence-related situation in which the couple were eating in a local restaurant nearby here," the sheriff's office stated in its release. "They exited the restaurant, and then the man shot the woman multiple times before he fled the area."

Harris' family identified her to Fresno ABC affiliate KFSN. She had recently graduated from Merced College's nurse assistant program, according to the station.

Moreno fled the scene in a white Toyota RAV4 after the shooting. A bystander filmed his vehicle leaving the area and shared the footage with investigators. Detectives tracking a possible address later spotted Moreno in the same vehicle. Coordinating with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested Moreno approximately four hours after the shooting, near Highway 41 and Manning Avenue — roughly 36 miles from the restaurant.

As of Monday afternoon, Moreno had not been formally charged in connection with Harris' death, court records indicated.

Source: Law & Crime