Ventura woman run over and killed in her own yard

Just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, neighbors near the 1200 block of Halifax Court saw and heard a teenage couple fighting.

Moments later, they saw the young man driving his car in reverse.

One witness said he thought the driver was trying to hit the young woman holding a baby on Halifax Court.

Soon they heard a fender bender, followed by a big crash.

When the teenage driver could not move the car, witnesses saw him run toward his home.

In the wreckage that took down a wooden fence, police found a woman pinned beneath the car. She did not survive.

Police arrested 18-year-old Erik Lopez

The medical examiner identified the victim as Verdena Owens, 65, of Ventura.

A friend described her as the mother of six adopted children.

Another neighbor said her family had moved in about a year and a half ago.

Cmdr. Darin Schindler said a 19-year-old domestic violence victim is recovering from minor wounds.

The string of events came as a tragic shock to neighbors preparing for the Fourth of July holiday.

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