Police Seek Suspects in 2 Santa Ana Shooting Deaths

Two young men were killed in unrelated shootings early Saturday morning.

Police had no suspects in custody Saturday, and had no leads regarding a motive in one of the shootings.

“We don’t know very much” about the shootings, Lt. Bob Helton said Saturday morning, adding that the city’s homicide rate is about even with last year’s at this time. “Things go in spurts so you just never know.”

Antonio Hernandez, 21, of Orange was found bleeding from his chest in the 7-Eleven parking lot at 2745 W. McFadden Ave. just after midnight, Helton said. About 25 feet from Hernandez was his car, with the door open, but no one else was around when police arrived, Helton added.

Officers found a large-caliber revolver in the bushes near the scene, but were unsure Saturday whether the gun was the one used to kill Hernandez, who was pronounced dead on arrival at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

“We do not have a motive at all at this point in this case,” Helton said. “It could have been just about anything.

“No one saw the shooting that we’ve been able to identify,” he said, adding that witnesses described a possible suspect who was near the scene at the time as a man in his 20s, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds and wearing dark pants and shirt. “Or if they did see it, you know how it goes, nobody has come forward.”

Three hours later, a man who police had not positively identified Saturday was killed after a brief argument in the parking lot of an all-night restaurant.

Witnesses told police that the victim left the El Comal Restaurant, 901 W. 17th St., just after 3 a.m., and told a woman who was crying in the parking lot to “shut up.”

A man standing with the crying woman and another woman was angered by the comment, and after a brief argument, shot the victim several times in the stomach and chest with a small-caliber handgun, police said.

“The motive in that appears to be totally from our victim telling one of the women who was crying--and we have no idea why she was crying--to shut up,” Helton said. “That appears to have triggered the argument and the shooting.”

The gunman fled the area immediately, and his two female companions had left the scene before police arrived, Helton said.

Witnesses described the suspect as about 23 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, wearing light pants and a maroon shirt. The victim, who police believe is 22 years old, was pronounced dead on arrival at UCI Medical Center.