A veteran Peninsula firefighter accused of fatally stabbing one person and injuring another this week at a Pacifica house had been well known to authorities in the days leading up to the killing — having been arrested by police on suspicion of domestic violence, and the subject of two court orders limiting his whereabouts and his ability to buy a gun.
Those steps do not appear to have been enough to stop the tragedy Thursday, when authorities say the man stabbed two people — killing one — then fled the scene. The man, Jason Gillenwater, obtained a gun while driving north, and died by suicide when he was pulled over by law enforcement officers in Mendocino County.
Gillenwater 46, of Pacifica, was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the shooting on the side of Highway 101 around 1:45 p.m. Authorities on Friday confirmed the identity of the man killed in the stabbing as Ezra Raymond Poeuch, 30, of Oakland.
Poeuch’s possible connections to either Gillenwater or the woman injured in the stabbing was not immediately clear. Authorities did not give an update Friday on the woman’s condition.
Pacifica police responded to a reported domestic violence incident around 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning in the 200 block of Naomi Avenue, according to a news release. Officers arrived to a gory scene: A man and a woman were suffering from stab wounds, and officers performed lifesaving efforts.
The male victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was transported to a hospital.
According to police, a male suspect, later confirmed to be Gillenwater, was spotted leaving the scene on foot. Officers performed a search of an area, which included a lockdown of nearby Vallemar Elementary School, but could not find him.
In a news release issued just before 11 a.m. Thursday, police said they believed that the suspect was no longer in Pacifica. Police later said that they believed that Gillenwater had “obtained” a firearm in Colusa County through unspecified means.
Around 1:39 p.m. Thursday, police and California Highway Patrol officers outside of Ukiah, in Mendocino County, spotted a truck that matched the description of Gillenwater’s vehicle, associated with the stabbing. They pulled him over, according to the CHP; before they could even speak to him, Gillenwater exited his vehicle and shot himself.
The visit to the home on Naomi Avenue on Thursday morning was not the first time Pacifica police had been there this month. Just seven days prior, on Dec. 14, police were called to the house on reports of a domestic violence incident involving Gillenwater and the same woman.
Police said they arrested Gillenwater on suspicion of domestic violence at the scene and booked him into San Mateo County jail. He was later released on bail and no charges were filed, according to San Mateo County court records.
Police said they seized all guns and ammunition from the home and obtained a gun violence emergency protective order, barring the man from legally obtaining a firearm. They also obtained an emergency protective order that prohibited Gillenwater from contacting the woman or coming within 100 yards of the home.
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“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and keeping the family members and Pacifica community close in our hearts as they cope with this profound loss,” Pacifica police Chief Maria Sarasua said in a statement Thursday.
According to a Linkedin page attributed to Gillenwater, he had worked as a firefighter and paramedic for the Colma Fire Protection District since 2011. He was placed on administrative leave the morning after he was arrested in the Dec. 14 domestic violence call, said Chief Geoffrey Balton.
The profile also listed American Medical Response as an employer, though no timeline for that job was given.
“We have been informed that a former part-time employee, Jason Gillenwater, was connected to serious charges unrelated to his employment at American Medical Response,” a spokesperson for AMR said in a statement. “We are working closely with local law officials and do not comment on ongoing investigations.”
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-738-7314.
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.
Reporter Jakob Rodgers and The Ukiah Daily Journal contributed to this story.
