SANTA ANA : Police Seek Gunman in Park Shooting

Police are looking for a gun-toting bicyclist who shot and wounded at least two men watching a volleyball game at Santa Ana Memorial Park in what investigators say was a random shooting.

Wounded about 9 p.m. Wednesday were Austreberto Orozco Moro, 37, of Garden Grove, who was shot in the upper body, and Olegario Bravo Gonzalez, 37, of Santa Ana, who was hit in the leg. Moro was in guarded condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Gonzalez was in good condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. Police said there was a possible third victim.

Santa Ana Police Sgt. Robert Helton said the shooting appeared to be random. He said there was no indication that it was gang-related.

The park, in the 2000 block of Flower Street in the Bristol Manor neighborhood just north of Warner Avenue, has not been claimed by any of the city’s 30 gangs, Helton said.

“This is an isolated incident.”

Gonzalez said he was watching a volleyball game from a bench alongside the court when he was shot. He did not see the gunman, he said. Later his friends told him the man was not a regular at the park.

“Nothing’s ever happened (like this),” he said in Spanish during a telephone interview. “I never had any problems.”

Gonzalez said he plays volleyball two or three times a week at Memorial Park and never had any reason to feel scared.

Councilman Miguel A. Pulido Jr., who represents the area, denounced the shooting.

“The shooting is totally unacceptable,” he said. “Memorial is a fine park that is used by everyone. We have to band together against crime like this.”

Ironically, Pulido met with the Bristol Manor Neighborhood Assn. Tuesday night to talk about improvements at Memorial Park and crime in the area.

Neighbors say the park, which is normally quiet, is frequently visited by neighborhood children. The park includes a pool, a baseball diamond and a recreational meeting room, in addition to volleyball courts.

Kim McPeck, president of the neighborhood association, described the park as “generally safe.”

Memorial Park is undergoing a five-year improvement plan that includes more lighting for the various play courts.

“It’s hard to believe that this can happen in the same park my kids play in,” McPeck said. “It’s like crime knocking on your door.”

Shooting at Park Volleyball Spectators Fired On