Man Kills Wife and Himself Outside Goodwill Office in Santa Ana

Outside a busy Goodwill office in Santa Ana a man fatally shot his wife and then killed himself Friday, police said.

The couple were in front of the Goodwill Industries corporate headquarters at 410 N. Fairview Ave. just before 3 p.m., Officer Mario Corona said.

About a dozen passersby fled or fell to the ground when the shooting began, he said. “It was pandemonium. People were very scared,” he said.

The man shot the woman several times, Corona said. Both died at the scene.

Police are interviewing more than 10 witnesses, including the couple’s 12-year-old daughter, who was with them but not injured, Corona said.

The couple’s names were not released pending notification of other family members, he said.

Employees were dismissed early from the three Goodwill stores that, with the office, make up a complex on Fairview, said Denise Higuchi, communications manager for Goodwill.

“We don’t know if they were shopping or walking by,” Higuchi said of the couple.

“There were people who heard and saw what happened. Several called 911.”

Dan Rogers, president and chief executive for Goodwill Industries of Orange County, said 225 people work in the complex.

He said he called crisis counselors to the scene for employees who wished to speak with them.

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Times staff writer Mai Tran contributed to this report.