Police Seek 3 in Shooting That Killed 1, Wounded 3 : Gang violence: Authorities say shots from a car prompted one of the victims to return fire. Auto was later found torched.

Investigators with the police gang unit were searching for three unidentified men who torched a car that was used in a fatal drive-by shooting that led to a gun battle Thursday night, leaving three others wounded.

Jesus Martinez, 21, of Santa Ana died of a single gunshot wound to his head after the 9:40 p.m. shootout in the 1900 block of Halladay Street, Police Lt. Bob Helton said.

It was not known what sparked the violence, Helton said, adding that the victims appeared to be members of rival gangs.

“It is still under investigation,” Helton said. “We are treating this as a gang shooting.”

Helton said that the owner of the house where the gun battle occurred, Ronnie Ramirez, was standing in the front yard with two friends, who were identified as Alfred Sandoval, 18, and a 14-year-old male.

As the three talked, a red, late-model Chrysler sped south along Halladay, said a witness who asked not to be identified.

The witness said she and her boyfriend were standing on her porch when they noticed the car suddenly slow down. They saw someone point a gun out the passenger window. Five shots rang out and Ramirez, 34, and his companions fell to the ground.

But a second later, one of the three men on the ground fired a single shot in return, she said. The bullet struck Martinez in the head, police said.

At that point, the car, its tires screeching, took off again at a high rate of speed.

“It happened real fast,” the witness said.

Police found Ramirez suffering from a gunshot wound to his mouth, Helton said. His companions were both hit once in the leg.

Ramirez, Sandoval and the youth were taken to a local hospital, where they were all listed in fair condition, Helton said. He declined to identify the hospital, saying that he feared friends of Martinez would be seeking retaliation for the slaying.

Detectives searching Ramirez’s yard found four handguns, Helton said, but it was not known if any of the guns confiscated were used in Martinez’s slaying. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department crime lab was analyzing the weapons to see if one had been fired.

Gunpowder residue tests were also being performed on Ramirez, Sandoval and the 14-year-old youth to determine who shot Martinez, Helton said.

“We have a lot of scientific work to do,” he said.

While police arrived on the scene, Martinez’s three companions sped to Coastal Communities Hospital in Santa Ana, where they dropped him off and fled again. Martinez was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors.

From the hospital, Martinez’s friends then drove the Chrysler to the 1400 block of Minnie Street, parked it and then set it on fire to destroy any possible evidence, Helton said.

Firefighters quickly put the blaze out. No one was injured, but the car was destroyed, Helton said.

Helton said detectives, who were unable to find any weapons in the car, were looking for Martinez’s three companions. He said that detectives were frustrated that neither Ramirez, Sandoval nor the teen-ager were providing information about the shooting.

“We don’t know what precipitated this (attack) due to the uncooperativeness of the participants,” Helton said. “The investigators are trying to find some consistency to the stories.”

The witness said on Friday that she believed Ramirez was a member of a local gang, but added that he and his friends never caused trouble on the street.

“The only problem there,” she said, pointing to the small white bungalow-style house, “is the loud music. (But) they never fight. They are always quiet.”