Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Investigation Opens Into Killing of Man by Police

Police and the district attorney’s office are investigating a shooting incident on Sunday in which a police officer fatally wounded a 45-year-old man, authorities said Monday.

The victim, Isidro Lara of Santa Ana, was shot in the chest about 2:10 a.m. Sunday by a police officer responding to a disturbance call in a rear alley of an apartment complex in the 700 block of South Euclid Street, Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.

Lara, who lived in the 2500 block of South Baker Street, died at the scene, Thomas said.

According to police, the officers found six men, all of them illegal aliens from Mexico, drinking, and Lara was firing a rifle into the air. The officer told Lara to drop the weapon, but he pointed it at the officer, police said.

“The victim had been shooting the gun in the air, and apparently the rifle he had (was) brought out by someone else to be shown or possibly sold to him,” Santa Ana Police Lt. Bob Chavez said.

A loaded pistol and several expended cartridges were found in the victim’s pockets, police said.

The other five men, who were not identified, were taken into custody for questioning Sunday and later released.

The officer, who was not identified, was placed on a routine three-day administrative leave, Thomas said. She added that all officer-involved shootings are investigated routinely by the district attorney’s office.