Azucena "Susie" Lepe, 45

Azucena “Susie” Lepe, 45, was shot and killed Thursday, July 25, in the 6700 block of Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Shortly after 2:40 a.m., Lepe was at a Shell gas station when she was shot along with another man, police said.

Lepe was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

Lepe’s family told CBS-TV Channel 2 that the woman was a mother of four who had briefly dated the suspect, Gerry Dean Zaragoza, a 26-year-old Latino.

That morning, Zaragoza is suspected of killing four people, including Lepe.

About 45 minutes before Lepe was killed, Zaragoza is suspected of killing his 33-year-old brother and his 56-year-old father. His mother was also shot in the hand.

Hours after the shooting at the gas station, police said that Zaragoza tried to rob a man outside a Bank of America in Canoga Park. 

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were deployed across the San Fernando Valley in an attempt to find Zaragoza. The department had blasted Zaragoza’s photo across social media, hoping someone would spot him and call law enforcement.

About 1 p.m., authorities said he shot and killed another man in an Orange Line bus stopped at Victory Boulevard and Woodley Avenue in Van Nuys.

“He didn’t even talk to his last victim,” said LAPD Capt. Billy Hayes, who oversees the robbery-homicide division. “He’s getting off the bus and he turns and shoots the person. It doesn’t look like there was any interaction between them.”

Detectives reviewed a video from the bus to identify the gunman and determine what unfolded inside, Hayes said.

Two officers with the LAPD and FBI joint fugitive task force spotted Zaragoza about 2:30 p.m. walking on Canoga Avenue near Gault Street and yelled for him to put his hands up.

Zaragoza refused, and authorities used a Taser to subdue him.

The first three people – Zaragoza’s father, brother and ex-girlfriend – were targeted, police said.

Authorities don’t believe he knew the man shot on the bus.

Zaragoza was charged July 29 with four counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted robbery, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Lepe’s family has set up a fundraising page for funeral expenses.

— Times staff writer Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.