A Las Vegas man is accused of showing up in Sonoma County a little late for Christmas on Saturday, dressed in a Santa beard, Santa hat, and a Donald Trump mask, and creating a ruse to lure his former brother-in-law out of his house so that he could shoot him.
Things must have gotten pretty heated on Facebook over the holiday!
75-year-old Gerald Jacinth is believed to have driven in from Nevada to pay his former brother-in-law a visit Saturday morning, dropping a mysterious package in his driveway and then allegedly shooting him twice, once in the back. As the Press Democrat reports via a news release from Rohnert Park police, Jacinth showed up in his 77-year-old ex-brother-in-law's driveway holding up a "present" and a duffel bag. When the victim refused to accept the present, Jacinth allegedly "opened fire into the victim’s garage," shooting him once and then again as the man tried to run back into his house.
The shooting was called in by the victim's wife at around 11:20 a.m. Saturday.
As the Mercury News reports, Jacinth didn't get far, and police spotted his black Dodge with Nevada plates making a U-turn in Rohnert Park. They blocked the road and arrested Jacinth without incident.
Inside the car, police say they found the mask, hat, beard, and a .38 caliber handgun.
The 77-year-old victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police brought in the Sonoma County Sheriff Explosive Ordinance Disposal team to examine the suspicious "present," which turned out to just be a towel inside a box.
No motive has yet been publicized in the crime, but it certainly sounds like some really bad blood between these two — with the Trump mask being the capper.
Jacinth was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and booked into jail in Sonoma County.
Photo via Party City