Garden Grove : Man Held in Shooting of Ex-Roommate in Back
An Anaheim man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Thursday morning after he fought with his former roommate and allegedly shot him in the back, Garden Grove police said.
Edward Chester Terpening, 49, was booked into County Jail, said Garden Grove Lt. Ken Adair. He said the victim, Michael Lee Thomas, 25, of Garden Grove, was initially in critical condition, but a spokeswoman for UCI Medical Center said Thursday that Thomas had improved to fair but stable condition.
Adair said Terpening and Thomas are former roommates and became involved in a “physical altercation” shortly before 2 a.m. while driving down the 1300 block of Hope Street.
They stopped the car and both men jumped out, he said.
When Thomas fled on foot, Terpening fired two rounds from a .38-caliber handgun, striking Thomas once in the back, Adair said.
Terpening was apprehended about 2:30 a.m. by Buena Park police, who responded to a countywide broadcast on the case, he said.
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