SAN DIEGO — A house painter suspected of shooting and wounding a San Diego television sportscaster was in a dispute with the victim over work done on the reporter’s home, police said.
Authorities say Mike Montana, 54, fired multiple shots through the rear window of Kyle Kraska’s silver Mercedes on Tuesday outside Kraska’s house in the city’s quiet, predominantly residential Scripps Ranch area.
San Diego police Lt. Scott Wahl said the dispute involved the painting of the KFMB-TV anchor’s house, but he didn’t offer specifics.
The CBS affiliate said Wednesday that Kraska’s injuries were serious but his prognosis is good. He was recovering at a hospital.
Todd Villalobos, a KFMB sports producer and friend of Kraska, told the station that Kraska hired Montana to paint the outside of his house. Kraska was dissatisfied with the work, paid the painter for what he had done, and the two agreed to part ways.
Months later, Montana began leaving notes on Kraska’s door, Villalobos said, according to KFMB.
Montana surrendered to authorities after a SWAT standoff at his home in suburban El Cajon and was booked into San Diego County jail early Wednesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on a charge of attempted murder.
Montana identified himself as the self-employed owner of Superior Painting Corp. in a filing for personal bankruptcy protection in January 2014. He listed assets of $11,030, liabilities of $38,878 and monthly income of $2,012.
Superior Painting’s California business license was suspended in October 2013 for an unpaid balance of $1,951, said Tami Grimes, a spokeswoman for the state Franchise Tax Board.
Jail records do not list an attorney for Montana, who didn’t immediately respond to an email sent through jail system.
Kraska, 48, is the sports director at KFMB, where he has worked since 1999. He has been a fixture in San Diego homes as the station’s evening sports anchor since 2003 and hosts the San Diego Chargers postgame show.
The Boston native previously worked for television stations in Los Angeles; Sarasota, Florida; Tampa, Florida; El Paso, Texas; and Albany, New York, according to a KFMB biography. He began his career as weekend sports anchor in Watertown, New York, during his senior year at Syracuse University.
San Diego police say the attack is unrelated to any other crimes and described it as “targeted.”
“(The suspect) was looking for him,” Wahl said. “He wasn’t looking for someone else. This was not random.”
The shooting comes less than two months after a TV meteorologist in Texas was shot outside the station where he works.
Authorities said KCEN-TV meteorologist Patrick Crawford was in his car the morning of Dec. 17 when a gunman approached, yelled at him and shot him three times.
Crawford returned to the air four weeks later. Authorities are still looking for that gunman.