Deputies and SWAT members surround home after report of shots but no one is found

By Hannah FryStaff Writer

Dec. 7, 2016 6:54 PM PT

Orange County sheriff’s investigators are trying to determine what, if anything, happened inside a Costa Mesa home Wednesday evening after a neighbor called to report hearing what sounded like gunshots fired inside the residence.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies and SWAT members surrounded a home in the 300 block of University Drive between Irvine and Santa Ana avenues after nearby resident called at 2:15 p.m. to report what she thought were gunshots and yelling inside the home, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Stichter.

After trying to make contact with anyone inside the home without success, authorities decided to enter the residence. However, when they got inside no one appeared to be home, Stichter said.

“We’re trying to determine what exactly happened there, if anything,” Stichter said.

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.