2 Held in Drive-By Killing of Santa Ana Grandmother

Two suspected gang members were in jail and a third was being sought Sunday after a drive-by shooting left a Santa Ana grandmother dead and her family in mourning.

Adela Cortes Rios, 67, died at Western Medical Center late Saturday evening from a single gunshot wound to the head. She apparently was not the target, police said.

Two suspects were in custody Sunday, and a third was still at large, Police Sgt. Raul Luna said. He declined to provide further details or identify the suspects because of the ongoing investigation.

The shooting occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday. Luna said neighbors witnessed a black car pass in front of Rios’ one-story home in the 2000 block of South Oak Street and the occupants fire several shots toward the house. One bullet pierced a screen door and struck Rios.

Police received calls reporting the shooting, along with information from a security guard near the scene, Luna said. The guard “saw a black Camaro speeding northbound on Grand Avenue near McFadden; it lost control and crashed into a building,” Luna said.

A passing police officer and the guard subdued two men as they emerged from the car; a third occupant escaped. Police believe the men, none of whom were injured in the crash, are members of a Santa Ana street gang, Luna said.

The shooting rattled the working-class neighborhood, where residents said the streets are fairly quiet, despite the gang presence.

Sunday morning, about a dozen neighbors and relatives gathered at Rios’ home, where she lived with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, five grandchildren and two teen nephews.

Her son, Rafael, 38, said he didn’t know why the suspects targeted his house. He said he saw the two men in custody in a police lineup but did not recognize them.

“I have no idea why they did this,” he said, adding that no one in the house has any gang affiliation. His children, ages 2 to 13, are still in shock, he said. “Their grandma is gone.”

An angry Manuel Rios, Rafael’s younger brother, called the shooting another senseless gang-related act.

“Why don’t they just kill each other off?” the 33-year-old asked. “Why do they have to kill innocent people?”