Freeway Gunfire Exchange Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured

A 17-year-old youth was killed and another was injured early Thursday in an exchange of gunfire on the Garden Grove Freeway that might have been gang-related, police said.

Vinh Thai Quoc Nguyen of Garden Grove was driving east near the Euclid Street offramp about 2:20 a.m. when he was shot in the torso, and his silver Honda went over the embankment on the south side of the freeway, Garden Grove Police Sgt. Mike Handfield said. Nguyen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another Garden Grove youth, whose identity was not released, had apparently been traveling alongside Nguyen in a white Toyota pickup. The youth, who had a companion in his car, was shot in the left wrist and the right buttocks, Handfield said. He was transported to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was in good condition Thursday.

Both vehicles had been hit by multiple gunshots. The truck was later recovered in the 1700 block of River Lane in Santa Ana. Police are investigating whether a third vehicle might have been involved in the altercation.

The wounded youth told police he was in Nguyen’s car, but that account does not match the evidence at the scene, Handfield said. He said the weapon used in the killing was not recovered.

Nguyen and the truck’s occupants are believed to have been acquaintances, Handfield said. It was not known whether they were feuding.

The incident is being investigated as a possible gang shooting because those involved were either gang members or associates, Handfield said.