Davis Truang

The motive for the double homicide of Mercedes Ortiz, 31, and her 3-year-old daughter, Aloni Truong, is documented in court documents. The two men were allegedly killed by the child’s father, Davis Truong, who was also injured.

Court documents say Truong shot both victims and himself in a “planned” murder-suicide that did not go as planned. After the shooting, Truong is seen on a neighbor’s doorbell camera frantically trying to get help. He has blood on his head and body but does not appear to be seriously injured.

According to the documents, Truong then walked to the Palace where two bystanders provided him with medical assistance. Police were called and found Truong suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Truong told police he was shot at a home on Pebblebrook Drive in Brookstone Trace.

Police followed a trail of blood leading from the Palace, which is across Brookstone Trace, to the subdivision and to the gate leading to the residence Truong mentioned. Another resident opened the door to police who found a significant amount of blood on the floor.

In what the other resident described as Truong’s bedroom, police found the woman and child, both deceased, along with a loaded SCCY 9mm handgun. At the hospital where Truong was taken with non-life-threatening injuries, he told police that he and Ortiz agreed to the murder and suicide. He said he killed them “out of love, not hatred.”

Truong remains in jail on $2.2 million bail.

According to obituaries published by the Evan W. Smith Funeral Home, Mercedes Antoinette Ashley Ortiz, born July 16, 1992, in Brooklyn, New York, was a “loving mother and daughter who will be missed by all.” A full obituary will be published at a later date. There is no mention of a service for her in the obituary. The obituary of Aloni Kieu Truong, born March 9, 2021, says “our darling angel child, we know we will meet again.” It also says a full obituary will be published at a later date. Aloni’s viewing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 28, at Evan W. Smith Funeral Home, 518 South Bay Road in Dover, with funeral services scheduled for 11 a.m. the same day.

The funeral home offers options to send flowers, plant a tree or leave a tribute to Ortiz and Truong through their website.

At a recent city council meeting, Chief Cecilia Ashe mentioned the tragedy.

“I wanted to emphasize just one thing by recognizing two groups. This week, we suffered a very hard blow for this community with the tragedy of the homicide of two individuals. It is very difficult for police officers to respond to these types of calls. But what has been very gratifying about the sense of tragedy that has hit this community is how much this community has rallied for this family,” said Chief Ashe. “From Paige’s Kindness Project, to getting the supplies needed for this family, but also to the Johnson family providing beds for the entire family. So, having worked in many different cities over my 28 years, it brings me such joy to be here and see the level of compassion and hope that even in the sense of tragedy that we have experienced , the city intensifies each time. So just a personal thank you to these two organizations, as well as the DFS workers and everyone who came to help in this tragic situation.

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