Tustin Man Shot by Pair Asking to Use Phone
A 22-year-old East Tustin man who invited a man and woman into his home to use the telephone was hospitalized in stable condition Sunday after the pair shot him, police said.
The victim, James Everett Morris Jr., invited a man in his late twenties or early thirties and a heavy-set woman about the same age into his home in the 14000 block of Cameron Lane about 1:15 a.m. Sunday. The pair told Morris their car was broken down and they needed to use a telephone, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Andy Decker.
However, once inside, the man reportedly pulled out a handgun and ordered Morris into his garage. The intruder then fired several shots, some of which hit Morris in the upper torso, Decker said.
Authorities called to the scene in the unincorporated county area rushed the victim to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he underwent emergency surgery. His condition Sunday was described as stable by a spokeswoman for the intensive care unit at the hospital.
Police are calling robbery the “apparent motive” for the intrusion. The loss in personal property or money, if any, had not been determined.
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