FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Cafe Closure Sought as Result of Shooting

After a shooting in front of a Vietnamese coffeehouse in a neighborhood shopping center last month, some residents and merchants want the cafe closed and are urging city leaders to stop the violence in their community.

“We’re getting upset about the violence in Fountain Valley,” said 18-year resident Carol Fullerton. “We live here because we want some peace and quiet--and we don’t want murderers on our street.”

A 19-year-old Garden Grove man was fatally shot in the head Oct. 20 in the parking lot outside the Gia Hoi Cafe, in a retail center near the corner of Edinger and Magnolia avenues.

Two other men in their early 20s were wounded. A 27-year-old Garden Grove man has been arrested in the case.

Police Chief Elvin G. Miali said investigators are looking for other suspects. Miali told residents last week that the shooting was not gang-related. He also said patrols have been stepped up in the community.

The cafe, with tinted front windows, deep blue interior walls, simple black tables and chairs and bamboo and plastic greenery trimming a seating area, caters mostly to young adults. It serves only coffee.

Owner My Nguyen, 30, who opened the cafe a year ago, said he shouldn’t be blamed for the shooting, which happened outside his business.

“If they tell me to move out, what would I do?” said Nguyen. “It’s not my fault.”

But Fullerton and about 100 other residents packed the City Council chambers last week, concerned about safety. At the meeting, only Fullerton and resident Vickie Brun addressed the council.

Fullerton, who passed out 250 flyers to her neighbors asking them to attend the meeting, told the council that changes are needed in city ordinances to bar businesses that attract criminal activity in shopping centers close to homes.

Brun, who lives next to the shopping center at Edinger and Magnolia, said she heard the gunshots, sirens and police helicopter the night of the shooting, and spent the next hour calming her 8-year-old son as well as herself.

“As you may guess, I am concerned about the future of our city and the safety of my family,” Brun told the council.

But Brun also said she was concerned about overreaction.

“I sympathize with (Fullerton’s) fears for the community, but we can’t start pushing merchants out because things happen there,” she said. “I’m asking people to be more rational rather than emotional.”

Brun told the council community unity is needed to deter criminal activity. “But we must avoid actions taken on unsubstantiated claims and hearsay,” she said.

Mayor Laurann Cook told the residents: “The safety of our community is the top priority. We have a very strong police enforcement policy, and we will do everything within the legal realm to keep Fountain Valley residents safe.”

The mayor scheduled a meeting with residents for next Monday. Fullerton requested that the matter be placed on the Nov. 16 council agenda for discussion.