Man Slain by Gunman in Costa Mesa Mystery

One man was slain Sunday night in a Costa Mesa industrial area after one or more shots were fired at four men in a van bearing Mexican license plates, Costa Mesa police said.

Police were unable to identify the Latino victim, who was shot in front of the A B Dick Co. building, in the 3500 block of Cadillac Avenue at about 4:45 p.m., Sgt. Tom Curtis said.

The older-model van remained parked in one of the building’s driveways with its turn signal still on while police interviewed witnesses in Spanish.

The area, which is next to the Santa Ana River bicycle trail, is in a dimly lit industrial cul-de-sac in western Costa Mesa.

Curtis said a motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, and it was not immediately known whether the victim and his three companions were inside the van or standing outside when the shots were fired.

The victim was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Curtis declined to say how many shots were fired, including those that may have struck the victim.

One of the victim’s companions is 50 to 55 years old, and the other two are in their early 20s, police said. All are Latino and speak only Spanish.

Curtis said the victim’s three companions are not under arrest but are being held for questioning. According to the companions, the suspect is an Anglo man about 35 years old who left the scene driving an older-model, brown, four-door sedan, police said.