Mourning a Life Cut Short : Victim of Drive-By Shooting Is Buried

As family members on Friday buried a Lake Forest youth who was killed in a drive-by shooting, authorities announced that they had arrested a 17-year-old boy, the fourth suspect apprehended in connection with the shooting death last weekend.

The suspect, whose name was not released because of his age, was escorted by his parents to the sheriff’s substation in Laguna Niguel, where he turned himself in Thursday afternoon, Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

He was booked into the county’s Juvenile Hall in connection with the murder of Bylan Hanna, 17, who was shot in his bedroom Sunday as friends and family members looked on helplessly.

Three other suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting death. Arraignment for Christopher Michael Womack of Mission Viejo, Carl E. Stewart of Laguna Niguel and Mathew Lloyd Conant of Mission Viejo, all 19, was continued until next Tuesday in South County Municipal Court. All three are being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail for each.

An arrest warrant has also been issued for a fifth suspect, Jason Paul Legare, 19, of Mission Viejo, allegedly the driver of the red Camaro getaway car. Authorities are still looking for other suspects.

On Friday, Hanna’s family members and friends attended funeral services at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana to pay tribute to the youth they called “Smiley.”

At the funeral, the family declined to be interviewed. Before the service, Eugene Hanna said only: “This is my son. This is my time with my son.”

After the graveside service, he walked up to the casket and gingerly placed his hand on it before he was tugged back by the pastor.

Officials will not say whether they are treating the shooting as gang-related, but the district attorney’s gang unit has been assigned the case.

According to reports by Sheriff’s Department investigators filed in court this week, Womack told detectives that he, Stewart, Conant and Legare are members of a South County gang. Womack also said that Hanna and his brother, 20-year-old Xavier, were members of another gang.

Xavier Hanna this week denied the charge, calling it a lie.

Womack also told authorities that Xavier Hanna and Stewart were involved in a scuffle last Friday. As a result, his group decided to arm themselves and then plotted to drive by the Hanna home on Palmek Circle and shoot at it, records stated.

On their way to the house, the four met with two others--one of them the juvenile--who were in a light-colored Toyota, Womack told detectives. Because the four did not know where Bylan lived, the juvenile offered to lead them there, according to the reports.

The two cars drove by the house, and three shots were fired from the Camaro, witnesses told investigators. According to the reports, Womack said Conant was the passenger who fired the gun.

Parts of Womack’s statement to authorities were later corroborated by Stewart in a separate interview with investigators.

Times staff writer Leslie Berkman contributed to this story.