Off-Duty Sonoma County Deputy Kills Ex-Partner, Then Himself in Santa Rosa

Authorities in Northern California say an off-duty Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot his ex-partner — also a sheriff’s department employee — before taking his own life in Santa Rosa on Sunday night.

Police identified the suspect as 44-year-old Jeremy Lyle, a 10-year veteran of the department, and the victim as **38-year-old Mari Bonnici**. The incident began with a 911 call from a neighbor who said a man had dropped off an infant and asked her to call for help because the child’s mother was hurt.

When officers entered Bonnici’s apartment on Quigg Drive, they found her dead and two young children unharmed. Lyle fled the scene and was later located parked at the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office. Negotiators spoke with him until around 2 a.m., when he fatally shot himself.

The standoff prompted a neighborhood lockdown, with police, SWAT teams, and helicopters deployed. Authorities say they have no prior reports of domestic violence between the pair and are now investigating a possible motive.

The sheriff’s department said it is mourning the loss of two employees and extended condolences to their families.