SANTA ANA – A man was killed and two women were critically injured Tuesday night when an unknown assailant walked up to their parked car and fired multiple shots, police said.
Seven to 10 shots were fired at the vehicle, hitting the three passengers inside multiple times in their upper torsos, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.
The suspect then walked back to a white SUV and drove away, he said.
Aaron Johnathan Chavez, a 23-year-old from Anaheim, was pronounced dead in the passenger’s seat of the car, Bertagna said. Two women, including the 21-year-old driver, in the red 2011 Chevrolet were critically injured.
The attack occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on 12th Street, just east of Main Street, Bertagna said. The three victims were parked along the north curb of 12th Street when a man inside the white SUV got out and started walking toward them, firing as many as 10 times.
“We’re not sure why that happened,” Bertagna said.
It was also not clear why the victims were parked in the area, a commercial area surrounded by multiple business buildings around Main Street.
Santa Ana police officers arrived to find the vehicle stopped in the intersection, Bertagna said.
Paramedics pronounced Chavez dead at the scene, said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.
The driver was identified only as a 21-year-old woman from Anaheim. The rear passenger was a 28-year-old woman from Santa Ana, Bertagna said. They were both taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana in critical condition.
On Wednesday, investigators were canvassing the area looking for video of the deadly shooting, Bertagna said.
Investigators are also working to identify what prompted the gunfire, and who the shooter was, Bertagna said.
The shooting does not appear to be gang related, he said.
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