Man Dies in Hail of Bullets in Westminster Parking Lot
As patrons of a Westminster pool hall scrambled for cover, suspected gang members sprayed semiautomatic-weapon fire across a nearby parking lot Saturday morning, killing one man and wounding another.
Police said the incident occurred at the 2 a.m. closing hour for the Family Billiard Center on Westminster Avenue. Approaching on foot, two or more gunmen fired about 20 shots as the victims attempted to get into a car.
The fusillade sent bullets whizzing into the crowded hall, where windows shattered and one customer was almost hit by a bullet that passed through a bathroom wall.
A neighboring gas station was also struck. Bullets pierced a bay just a few feet above the gasoline pumps, according to police.
“The bullets were flying everywhere,” said one patron, who declined to give his name. “I just jumped and ducked.”
In the parking lot, the two victims--both from Huntington Beach--lay wounded in pools of blood. Terry Tackett, 21, died later at UCI Medical Center in Orange. The other victim, Vu Huynh Nguyen, was treated and released.
Police have launched a search for an unknown number of men who jumped into a vehicle--possibly a gray Honda Accord--and fled east on Westminster Avenue.
The brazen nature of the assault and the fact that multiple shooters were involved suggest the incident was gang-related, police said.
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