SANTA ANA : Drug Tie Suspected in Fatal Shooting

A Santa Ana man was fatally shot late Tuesday during what appeared to be a drug transaction that went awry, police said.

The body of Ruben Cruz Godinez, 36, was found by police officers responding to a call regarding shots being fired in the 2100 block of West Myrtle Street, police spokeswoman Maureen Haacker said.

Haacker said that just before the 11 p.m. shooting, Cruz, who lived about a mile away, was seen talking to one or two men on West Myrtle.

Later, someone suddenly pulled a handgun and shot Cruz at point-blank range in the chest, Haacker said. As he fell, the assailant fled the scene.

A resident who heard the gunshot called 911, Haacker said.

Investigators arrived at the scene and found two plastic bags of a “white powdery substance” believed to be drugs lying next to the body, Haacker said. The substance was taken to the Orange County Crime Lab for analysis, she said.

“We believe the motive to the murder was drug-related,” Haacker said. No suspects have been identified.

Police are seeking the public’s help in finding witnesses to the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Department’s homicide division at (714) 647-5116 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at (714) 834-4801 after hours.