Carlsbad woman and her gun instructor accused in sniper attack that injured her estranged husband

A Carlsbad woman and her gun-range instructor were arrested this week, accused of conspiring in a Sept. 1 sniper attack that injured the woman’s estranged husband and terrified an upscale Carlsbad neighborhood.

Diana Lovejoy, 43, and Weldon McDavid Jr., 49, face charges of attempted murder and conspiracy. They are set to be arraigned on Monday.

McDavid made a brief appearance in a Vista courtroom Friday, where San Diego Superior Court Judge James Mangione agreed to postpone his arraignment so that McDavid could hire his own attorney.

During the short hearing, Mangione ordered both Lovejoy and McDavid held on $2 million bail.

McDavid works at Iron Sights shooting range in Oceanside, where Lovejoy took lessons, according to Carlsbad police spokeswoman Jodee Sasway.

Prosecutors allege the pair began conspiring on Aug. 1 to kill Lovejoy’s estranged husband, with whom she is locked in a custody battle over the couple’s young son.

The two had been married for nearly seven years when Lovejoy filed for divorce in 2014.

Sasway said detectives suspect Lovejoy called her 45-year-old husband and arranged to meet him late at night on Sept. 1 on an access road off Avenida Soledad near Rancho Santa Fe Road.

McDavid hid in nearby bushes and shot the victim sniper-style, prosecutors allege.

The shooting was reported around 11:15 p.m. Police shut down Rancho Santa Fe Road for about a mile and alerted residents through reverse 911 calls to stay indoors until 3 a.m. as SWAT officers searched for the shooter. The all-clear was sounded about 6 a.m.

Lovejoy’s husband underwent surgery at a trauma center and survived the shooting.

On Thursday, police arrested Lovejoy at her home in Carlsbad and McDavid near his home in Fallbrook.

Lovejoy faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, while McDavid faced 50 years to life because he is accused of pulling the trigger; an allegation of personal use of a gun can add 25 years to a sentence.

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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