Man Shot to Death Near Scene of Earlier Killings

A 20-year-old Santa Ana man was shot to death Wednesday night in a neighbor’s garage, just five blocks from where two men were fatally shot on Tuesday.

Alex Cardenas was shot three times in the chest and was dead on arrival at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, police said.

Cardenas had been visiting a friend who lived several doors from his home in the 2000 block of Kilson Drive, police said. The friend left to take a shower in the house, heard shots, and returned to find Cardenas lying on the floor.

An anonymous caller telephoned police at 10:50 p.m. to report gunfire and to say that two men had sped away in a white Toyota pickup.

The victim’s father, Jose A. Cardenas, said his son had gone out to empty the trash. He speculated that perhaps he saw friends down the street and went to talk to them.

Police said they have no suspects in the killing and no motive.

In Tuesday’s shooting, two men were killed in front of an apartment building at Occidental and Evergreen streets. Police on Thursday would not release the identity of one of the men because they have been unable to locate his family. The other man is still unidentified.

Wednesday’s shooting was the fourth homicide this year in the neighborhood. There have been seven homicides in the city so far this year, police said.

Two weeks ago, a man was found stabbed to death in a car parked on Occidental Street.