Bystanders Hold Off Gunman

A 29-year-old man armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire outside a children’s park Friday, wounding a man before a homeless veteran and a second bystander wrestled the gun away.

Police said the rapid, popping gunfire began about 1:50 p.m. in front of the Ibero American Market at Elm and Lemon streets, as children played at nearby Little People Park.

Jaime Allen King, 51, who said he is homeless, heard the first shots and jogged toward the market, where he was confronted by the gunman. Witnesses said the gunman shouted a threat and aimed the rifle at King, who leaped forward and grabbed the gun.

As sirens drew closer, King and another bystander, identified only as Andy, struggled with the gunman. Stunned residents watched as the two men grappled with Edward Manzano of Anaheim until police arrived.

“It was unbelievable. Anything could have happened,” said Matt Burkert. “We had eight kids playing in our yard, 50 yards from where this guy is firing shots. [King] prevented the thing from escalating, and he may have saved lives. He may be homeless, a vagrant, whatever. The bottom line is: He is a hero.”

But King, who identified himself as a Vietnam War veteran, said: “I was no hero. All I did was fight to save myself and my friends.” The risk of a desperate lunge for the gun, he said, was “better than being dead.”

The shots apparently had been aimed at a passing car. Witnesses said the gunfire was the conclusion to an argument between the suspect and one of two men in the car, but police would not comment.

The driver of the car ferried his wounded companion six blocks to the lobby of the Anaheim police station. The 37-year-old passenger was hit in the lower right leg, but the injury was not life threatening, police said.

Mail carrier Norma Cordova was working her regular route down Lemon Street when she was startled by the gunfire. She found herself just yards away from the gunman and the two men struggling for control of the weapon. One of the men shouted a warning to her, she said.

“He told me to run and that’s what I did,” a visibly shaken Cordova said. “They were wrestling for the weapon and I split. Both of them risked their lives to take the gun away from him. I’m grateful to those two gentlemen.”

Residents up and down Lemon Street echoed the sentiment.

“I was worried about the kids who were outside playing,” said resident John Miller, 27. “I’m just glad that nobody got shot.”

Manzano was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Burkert said crime is rare in the neighborhood, which is a few blocks east of Harbor Boulevard, near the city’s downtown hub. He recalled that the last shooting occurred more than five years ago when the owner of the Ibero America market was gunned down in an apparent robbery attempt.

“This is something that doesn’t sit well with me,” Burkert said. “This was really too close. Something could have happened to anyone of us.”