Austin Alvarez

Man shot his grandmother on Christmas day while unwrapping present 

Austin Alvarez is accused of killing both his father's girlfriend and his grandmother on December 25, 2021.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A California man has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead his grandmother and his father’s girlfriend as the family was opening their Christmas gifts.

Austin Alvarez, 23, had arrived at the family home in Reedley’s 17000 block of Goodfellow Avenue, about 20 miles southeast of Fresno, where the holiday gathering was held.

Austin Alvarez, 23, turned up at his family’s home in Reedley on Saturday afternoon and pulled out a gun just as his relatives started exchanging presents, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

His grandmother Magdalena Alvarez, 58, and his dad’s 39-year-old girlfriend Meisa Rashid were both struck and killed.

According to a news release from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at the scene at 1.45 p.m. on Friday after the shooting was reported.

They arrived at the house to find two women with fatal gunshot wounds.

It is also claimed that Alvarez fired the gun at his father after leaving the house when he saw him sitting in a parked vehicle.

His father wasn’t injured.

Alvarez was captured by authorities in his GMC pickup truck about 10 miles from the home.

The California Highway Patrol and multiple local law enforcement agencies were involved in tracking him down.

The police investigation is still ongoing, and the motive for the horrific double-murder is still unknown.

Alvarez was booked into the Fresno County jail on two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.

His bail was set at $2.5 million.