SANTA ANA : Woman Held in Fatal Shooting of Husband

A 24-year-old man was shot once in the chest late Sunday by his common-law wife as he and his brother talked on the sidewalk outside the couple’s home on South Broadway, police said Monday.

The man, Martin Soto Villanueva, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana about 10:30 p.m., where he died a short time later, police spokeswoman Maureen Haacker said. Police arrested Pauline Estrada Reyes, 40, without a struggle and recovered a .45-caliber handgun. She was held on suspicion of murder and taken to Orange County Jail.

Details of the shooting were sketchy Monday because the detective investigating the incident was unavailable for comment, Haacker said. The shooting might have been linked to an earlier argument reported by neighbors, she said.

“There was some kind of argument that took place in the house prior to the shooting,” Haacker said. “She walked out the house and shot him as he was having a conversation with his brother.”