Man Killed After Argument in Hotel; Two in Custody

Two Anaheim men were arrested Sunday on suspicion of killing a 32-year-old Chicago man in the hallway of a Fullerton hotel late Saturday night.

The shooting took place after an argument that erupted when a group of business travelers tried to get into a birthday party in a nearby suite, police said.

Derrick Swarn, a salesman, was shot once in the chest and died at the scene, Fullerton Police Sgt. Greg Mayes said.

After questioning about 25 witnesses, police arrested Joe Leonard Garcia, 18, and Nicholas Edward Fedore, 24, on Sunday afternoon.

Both men, who were taken into custody for questioning shortly after the shooting, are believed to have fired handguns during the argument, Mayes said. But police were unsure which man fired the shot that killed Swarn, Mayes said.

The guns had not been recovered Sunday, said Mayes, who added that no weapon was found in Swarn’s possession at the scene.

No other injuries were reported. The shooting took place about 11:45 p.m. at a Days Inn in the 1500 block of Raymond Avenue, Mayes said.

Swarn, who was hit with one of about five rounds fired during the confrontation, was a member of a group of 10 business travelers staying at the hotel, Mayes said.

Swarn’s group apparently tried to enter a birthday party attended by Garcia, Fedore and about 23 other Orange County residents, Mayes said.

When tempers flared, Garcia and Fedore started shooting at the uninvited guests, Mayes said.

“To me it’s just another one of these situations that should have never escalated to the point that it did,” Mayes said. “It amazes me that the simplest things can result in the loss of a human life.”

The killing is the first of the year in Fullerton, where there were six homicides in 1995, Mayes said.

The Days Inn is in a commercial district and “has traditionally been a pretty good hotel,” not known as a scene for violence or crime, Mayes said.

Gerry Tozer, manager of the 248-room hotel, declined to comment on the shooting.