The Gudino family was well-known and well-liked on Chapel Hills Drive in Colorado Springs, which made Monday morning’s violent outburst within the family a surprise, neighbors said.
Then they learned who police said was responsible and the surprise turned to shock.
Daniel Gudino, 13, is accused of shooting and killing his 9-year-old brother, Ulysses, just after 8 a.m. Monday. He also allegedly shot and stabbed his mother.
“Daniel was very quiet; he kept to himself,” said neighbor Kathy Wenzel. “But they were a fun-loving family. They entertained a lot of kids over at their house, and they were always friendly when you spoke to them over the fence.
“It’s all very shocking.”
Marina Gudino, 38, survived her wounds and called for help just after 8 a.m., police said in a news release. She is in stable condition at a Colorado Springs hospital.
Police have not commented on a possible motive.
Daniel faces first-degree-murder charges in the death of his brother and attempted-murder charges for the attack on his mother.
A 7-year-old sister inside the home was not injured. The father and a 12-year-old brother were not home at the time, police said.
The family has lived in the 1800 block of Chapel Hills Drive for about two years, neighbors said.
Jesse Wenzel, 14, usually waited at the bus stop with the Gudino children, but they were not there Monday morning when the bus arrived at 7:30 a.m., he said.
Jesse is in the eighth grade and Daniel the seventh at Mountain Ridge Middle School.
“He was a low-key, calm kid, a little shy,” Jesse said of Daniel. “He was the quietest member of the family.”
Ulysses Gudino’s death marks the 14th homicide in Colorado Springs so far this year, police said.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
