Man Killed by Police After Firing Shotgun Is Identified

A man who was shot and killed by police after a gun battle with his roommates over the volume of a radio has been identified as Antonio Jimenez, authorities said Tuesday.

Jimenez, 20, of 717 S. Townsend St., was killed shortly after 6 p.m. Monday as he stood on a balcony outside his apartment where he had exchanged gunfire with those inside. Witnesses said the young man apparently ignored commands to drop his shotgun and chambered another shell as he turned toward police.

Wounded in the abdomen during the incident was Concepcion Mendoza, 23, of Santa Ana, a visitor at the apartment. He was shot by Jimenez after the argument over the radio turned violent, police said.

Mendoza and one of Jimenez’s roommates, Eustorgio Fidel Rodriguez, 45, surrendered to authorities when the gunfire stopped. Another roommate, Jesus Reyes Franco, 23, refused to come out for almost three hours, but finally gave himself up to SWAT team members and a canine unit about 9:30 p.m.

Rodriguez and Franco were not injured. Mendoza was listed in critical condition Tuesday at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Police said they are continuing to look into how the fight started and whether Jimenez might have been acting in self-defense. So far, no criminal charges have been filed against Franco, Mendoza or Rodriguez.

“Apparently, the others were not involved in starting the shooting,” said Sgt. Art Echternacht, a Police Department spokesman. “There is a possibility that Jimenez was acting in self-defense, but it seems pretty slim.”

Police said an autopsy might confirm the possibility that Jimenez was wounded by someone in the apartment before the officer opened fire. Echternacht said a handgun was recovered from the apartment.

As is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, the Santa Ana police and the Orange County district attorney’s office are conducting separate investigations into whether the officer committed any wrongdoing when he shot Jimenez.