Livermore woman, grandson found shot to death

(01-14) 18:01 PST LIVERMORE -- An elderly woman and her grandson were found shot to death inside a Livermore home in what appeared to be a murder-suicide, police said Friday.

The victims, whose names have not been released, were found by family members and friends who showed up at the home on Canterbury Avenue at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Both victims had been shot in the head, police said.

Family friends told police that the grandson suffered from mental illness and had a history of illegal drug use, Lt. Mike Peretti said. "Investigators are trying to determine if this has any connection to the incident," he said.

Public records show that a 96-year-old woman lives at the home. Neighbors said her husband, a carpenter, died in 1990 at the age of 78.

A neighbor, Cindy Jamison-Milne, said Friday that she had spoken to a 40-year family friend who was among those who found the bodies.

The man told Jamison-Milne that they had gone to the home for coffee after the woman called them and invited them over. The place settings had been set, and the coffee was still hot, he told Jamison-Milne.

"Everything was set up," Jamison-Milne said. "I think something had to have happened between her phone call and 7 o'clock."

Police said they could not confirm that account.

"It's kind of still a mystery, not knowing their situation and what actually occurred," Jamison-Milne said. "As far as I know, it's been very quiet in that house. In fact, this whole neighborhood is pretty quiet. It's really sad and really shocking to have something like this happen two houses down."

Neighbor Marcia Renck, 70, said the woman "took care of herself quite well" after her husband's death. "She seemed to be handling it pretty well," Renck said.

Renck said the woman "had different grandsons living with her at different times."

The woman could occasionally be seen walking in the neighborhood with a cane, neighbors said.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle