SANTA ANA : Man Shot Dead in Motel Parking Lot

Police were searching for leads Monday in the death of a newlywed sailor gunned down in a motel parking lot.

Navy enlisted man John Parrznello, 21, was shot at 10:50 p.m. Sunday when he and his wife of two weeks returned to the Motel 6 at 1623 E. First St. to retrieve a bracelet she had left behind, Police Sgt. David Nick said.

“They had driven back to the motel, which they had checked out of earlier in the day,” Nick said. “They went to the office and got a key to the room and he stayed in the parking lot while his wife went up to look around. Apparently he was confronted in the parking lot (and) shot, and he stumbled into the office, where he collapsed.”

Parrznello died about two hours later at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

Nick said there was no indication that Parrznello was robbed and there is no information on suspects. Police did not release his wife’s name.

Chief Petty Officer Martin Wicklund, a spokesman for the Navy, said Parrznello was assigned to a missile ship harbored in San Diego. He did not know Parrznello’s hometown.