Santa Ana : Police Find Body of Man, 48, Who Had Been Shot to Death

The body of a 48-year-old man who had been shot to death was found early Wednesday outside his home in a trailer park, authorities said.

Police discovered the body of James Busher at 2:44 a.m. lying face down on the sidewalk in the 1900 block of South Oak Street, next to his 1979 Volvo. Police said Busher had been shot several times in the head and the upper body.

Some residents of the St. Andrew Trailer Park, where Busher had been a tenant since November, said Wednesday that they had heard several shots and had seen a car speeding away.

James Parten, 58, who lives two trailers away, described Busher as someone who “kept to himself a lot and normally just said ‘hi’ and ‘bye.’ ”

Dorothy Stauch, the park landlady, said Busher told her that he worked as an engineer for the Gorham Co., a general contracting company in Corona. Gorham officials confirmed that a James Busher was working for them at a fire station being built in Santa Ana, but they could not immediately confirm whether that was the same man living at the trailer park.

Santa Ana Police Sgt. Rick Hicks said detectives have not determined a motive for the shooting, whether it was gang-related or whether Busher may have known his assailants. An investigation is continuing, Hicks said.