The fatality has been identified as 36-year-old Sandra Hackley. Her companion, 31-year-old Rafael Cornielle, is in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his chest and thigh.
Police say Hackley's two children were in the apartment at the time and witnessed the brutal slaying. Hackley's 12-year-old daughter was grazed in the leg by the bullet, while her 6-year-old daughter was not hurt. Both, police say, were frightened beyond belief.
Detectives were still searching and collecting evidence, taking pictures of blood stains as residents try to comprehend what has happened.