Inset: Christiannel Lyle Macapagal Maningat (GoFundMe). Background: The Washington state neighborhood where stepfather Arnino Velasco Guanlao was allegedly gunned down by a neighbor after killing his stepdaughter Christiannel Lyle Macapagal Maningat on the man’s property and shooting her sister (KING/YouTube).
A stepfather in Washington state was gunned down by his neighbor while trying to kill his stepdaughters, one of whom died, during a family fight that “spilled” onto the neighbor’s property, cops say.
Arnino Guanlao, 47, of Puyallup, was firing a handgun at his adult stepdaughters in front of the neighbor on the morning of April 2 after a family fight spilled onto the resident’s driveway and into his garage, according to police. He was fatally shot by the neighbor. Christiannel Lyle Macapagal Maningat, Guanlao’s stepdaughter, was also killed.
“He was going to shoot the kids,” witness Michelle Weingarden-Bandes, who lives nearby, said of the neighbor.
“He just kept saying, ‘He was going to shoot the kids,'” Weingarden-Bandes told local ABC affiliate KOMO. “I think he’s in shock, and he kept saying, ‘I have my gun, my gun’s still on me, my gun’s still on me,’ and that was about all he kept saying.”
Maningat, 23, was killed during the mayhem. Her sister was also shot and hospitalized with serious injuries. Residents reported hearing around 10 gunshots.
“There were three family members involved in a domestic situation,” Puyallup Police Capt. Kevin Gill told reporters at a press conference. “It spilled outside of the house and ended up in the neighbor’s driveway or garage area. One of the family members ended up shooting two other adult family members.”
Gill said that “the homeowner of the neighboring house intervened, and the suspect was shot by the homeowner,” per KOMO. “We’re interviewing a lot of witnesses who, as you can imagine, are quite distraught,” Gill told reporters.
According to local NBC affiliate KING, use of force is allowed to protect oneself or others under Washington law, but it must be reasonable and necessary and cannot exceed what is needed. Deadly force is only allowed if a person is facing serious harm or death, KING reports.
“That’s under investigation, as to exactly how the circumstances took place,” Gill said about the legality of the neighbor’s involvement. Police have reportedly been interviewing the resident, who is cooperating.
Family members told KOMO that Maningat was someone who “never held grudges and was always so accepting and genuinely kind.” It’s unclear what sparked the fight that led to the fatal shooting.
“She was like the ‘mom’ in every situation, always checking on people and making sure everyone was okay,” the family said in a statement. “She was just a really lovable person, and so many people loved her deeply.”
A GoFundMe describes Maningat’s death as stemming from “a devastating act of domestic violence” and “a tragedy that no family should ever have to endure.” It says the two stepdaughters who were shot have two other sisters “who are carrying fear, confusion, and heartbreak that no words can fully explain,” per the description.
“Everything about their lives changed in a matter of moments,” the GoFundMe says.
