Santa Ana Gang Violence Claims 4th Fatality in 4 Days

A 19-year-old Santa Ana man became the fourth fatal shooting victim here in four days when he was shot in the back of the head Friday night while fleeing a confrontation with apparent gang members, police said.

Juan Carlos Navarro and some friends--who police believe were not gang members--were driving in the 1500 block of West 7th Street shortly after 11 p.m. Friday when they passed some gang members walking along the street, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Jim McDaniel.

The gang members asked Navarro, who was driving the car, where the group was from--a question meant to determine gang affiliation, McDaniel said.

When Navarro tried to speed away, one of the gang members pulled out a small-caliber rifle and began firing at the car, police said. The car’s other occupants dove to the floor, but Navarro was struck in the back of the head.

Navarro’s car slammed into a parked car and the gang members fled, police said.

Navarro died at 11 a.m. Saturday after spending the night on life-support systems at UC Irvine Medical Center. The other occupants of the car were shaken up but not injured, McDaniel said.

Investigators said that all four unsolved shootings last week appear to be gang-related, but do not appear to be linked.

On Thursday night, Juan Lemus, 20, who was identified by police as a gang member, was shot to death outside a Santa Ana home--possibly in retribution for a previous gang shooting. Francisco Nava, 18, a suspected gang member, was gunned down Wednesday as he was leaving a swap meet on South Bristol Street. And Ruben Hector Martinez, 21, who did not appear to have any gang affiliation, was shot to death Tuesday by two bicyclists on West Lingan Lane in what may have been a case of mistaken identity.

“I don’t know why we’ve had so many,” McDaniel said. “It could be the full moon. High tide. Who knows why?”

In the case of Friday night’s shooting, McDaniel said Navarro simply appeared to be “in the wrong place and the wrong time. . . . If you saw gang members and they asked you where you were from, why would you stop?”