THE VICTIMS : Friends Say Man Killed Was Kind, Devoted to Family

Al Motis, 53, was a kindly family man with apparently no enemies until Tuesday, when he was killed during a gunman’s rampage at a quiet state hospital where he worked.

Friends and neighbors said Motis was a regular churchgoer at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Santa Ana and was devoted to his wife, Darlene, who cleaned homes, and his son Bryan, 26, a paraplegic injured several years ago in a dune buggy accident. Another son James, 24, was said to have married this summer.

“I don’t understand this,” said a tearful Jeff Shachter, who lives across the street from Motis in a working class Garden Grove neighborhood decorated year-round with American flags. “He was one of the nicest guys in the world.”

The brutal shooting spree also left two supervisors at the Fairview Developmental Center--James Pichon, 36, of El Toro and Hugh Kohler, 43, of Costa Mesa--with serious head wounds. Kohler and Pichon were each shot once in the head, according to Costa Mesa police.

Motis, the building trades supervisor, was the second shooting victim, suffering two gunshots wounds in the back and one in the forehead, police said. Details were unclear Tuesday, but police said Motis may have confronted suspect Michael Rahming after Pichon was wounded. Police say Rahming had followed Motis back to an office in or near where the father of two was slain.

Family members were unavailable Tuesday, and calls to the home went unanswered.

But Shachter and others who knew Motis said he had worked at Fairview for 28 years but never talked about his job.

Shachter recalled that the day he moved into the neighborhood, Motis was happy to lend him a hand. “He’d do anything for anybody,” Shachter said.

Described as “meticulous,” Motis spent 10 to 15 hours a week sculpting the shrubs in front of his stucco house and tending to his back-yard vegetable garden, his friend said. Motis often handed out the squash and tomatoes to his neighbors.

Residents in the 30-year-old tract neighborhood shared an old-fashioned patriotism, Shachter continued, and Motis usually hosted a Fourth of July party that drew dozens of relatives and neighbors.

“The whole family is totally gracious,” Shachter said.

Motis’ colleagues also recalled him with affection.

“He was a wonderful man,” said Pam Bruns, an administrative secretary. “He was here 18 years.”

Another administrator, Terri Yates, described Motis as “a rather quiet man. I never heard him raise his voice.” Pichon’s mother, Doris Pichon of El Toro, said her son and Motis were friends. All the victims were “great” people, she said in a telephone interview.

Pichon, who grew up in a military family, graduated from Santa Ana Valley High School.

His mother said she believes that her son’s quickness saved him from death.

“When he saw the gun, all he did was run in his office, which has a 5- or 6-inch steel door. What saved him was being so fast. He was alert.

“We’re just thankful he’s alive.”

Pichon has a brother, George, who works for the Mission Viejo post office, his mother said.

At Kohler’s Costa Mesa home Tuesday, a family friend was answering phone calls from concerned relatives and colleagues while Kohler’s wife and two stepchildren kept a vigil at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Kohler also has a child from a previous marriage.

“They’re all shocked and upset about what they heard on the radio and saw on the news,” he said.

Records show that the hospital director was educated at Cal Poly Pomona and received a master’s in education from Cal State Los Angeles. Kohler has worked for the state since 1969. He came to Fairview as executive director in June, 1985, after working at the Lanterman Development Center in Pomona. His wife, Sherry, works at Lanterman.

Kohler had a reputation for being fair to his employees, said Carol Darby, president of the Fairview local of the California Assn. of Psychiatric Technicians.

“He was very accessible to the employees and he always acted in a fair manner dealing with (employee union leaders),” Darby said. When she was elected union president in April, Darby recalled, Kohler surprised her with a welcoming phone call and an offer to meet.

THE VICTIMS

Allen Motis

53, plant operations supervisor.

Worked at Fairview for 28 years.

Lived in Garden Grove with his wife and son.

Shot three times and killed.

Hugh Kohler

43, executive director.

Has worked at Fairview for six years.

Lives in Costa Mesa.

Shot once in the head after a struggle.

James Herbert Pichon

36, painting supervisor.

The suspect’s direct supervisor.

Has worked at Fairview for 11 years.

Lives in El Toro.

Shot once in the head.