OCEANSIDE – By the time police arrived at a private residence on the 1400 block of Santa Rosa Street in Oceanside, they found 34-year-old suspect David Strouth covered in blood and lying next to the dead body of his 49 year-old victim, Bradley Thomas Garner.
Sgt. Gabe Jimenez stated that the incident began a little before 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24th According to reports, the men had been fighting for some time before the weapon was brandished and Strouth slayed his victim. A babysitter, who was planning to watch Garner’s two young children, reported that when she arrived that night, Strouth was covered in blood and told her he “had just slayed the beast.” The babysitter then ran to her car and called neighbors for help.
Having been alerted to the possible crime by the babysitter, two neighbors armed themselves with a handgun and a knife, and rushed to the home. When they arrived, they reported that they found the suspect leaning over the victim’s body and cutting himself with a knife.
Police stated that once they showed up, they engaged Strouth, and it took five officers to finally subdue him and take him into custody. Strouth was airlifted to a local hospital with self-inflicted stab wounds to his neck and arms. While he was being held there under guard by police, he admitted to the crime on several different occasions, and after being cleared of his injuries, was booked into San Diego County’s Vista Detention Center on homicide charges
Garner’s children were unharmed during the incident and remain in protective custody.
