Anaheim : Police Identify Man Slain by Shotgun Blast

A 32-year-old man killed by a shotgun blast to the head this weekend was identified Monday as Joseph Anthony Hyde of Long Beach, an Orange County deputy coroner said.

Armando Merina, 40, of Anaheim was arrested as a suspect in the shooting Saturday night and was being held Monday at Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, police said.

Hyde had custody of his stepdaughter Saturday and was returning the girl to Merina’s home in the 600 block of South Webster Avenue, where Hyde’s estranged wife was living, police said.

Hyde and his estranged wife had an argument in the house. Merina brought out a shotgun “to frighten” him and keep him from harming her, Police Detective Carl Martin said.

At some point, Merina shot Hyde, police said, although the details remain sketchy. “We’re not sure exactly how the incident occurred yet,” Martin said.