Two Relatives Arrested in Gun Death

A 29-year-old Santa Ana man was shot to death early Sunday while drinking beer in his garage with two relatives, both of whom were arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.

Leonardo Munoz, 29, was pronounced dead at Coastal Communities Hospital from a single gunshot wound to the chest shortly after the 4:10 a.m. shooting, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Dick Faust.

Alberto Avelar Cisneros, 31, and Jose Luis Avelar, 35, both of Bloomington, described as distant relatives of the victim, were arrested after the shooting and are being held at the Santa Ana Detention Facility, Faust said.

“Investigators are not sure at this time who fired the shot,” Faust said.

The three men had been drinking beer in Munoz’s garage at his home in the 2500 block of West Pomona Street in the southwest area of the city, near Centennial Regional Park, Faust said.

It is unclear what led to the shooting, but both suspects were armed at the time, Faust said.

The suspects and their wives attempted to flee after the shooting but discovered they had locked their keys in their car and tried to escape on foot, Faust said. The four were spotted by police at Pomona and King streets and the two men were arrested, Faust said.

A .38-caliber revolver and a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun were recovered in a duffel bag carried by one of the wives, Faust said.

At the time of the shooting, the victim’s wife and a 7-year-old child were in the main part of the home, Faust said.