Gunfire Kills Two on Santa Ana Street

Two young motorists died Friday after their car was sprayed by gunfire at a busy Santa Ana intersection in an apparent gang slaying, police said.

The men, both in their early 20s according to police, were traveling north on South Flower Street near Edinger Avenue about 3 p.m. when a second vehicle overtook them and its occupants fired several bullets into the cab of their Honda Civic, witnesses said.

“I heard a pop! pop! pop! and I looked out the window,” said Scott Choi, owner of Choi Auto Service at that intersection. “I saw this black car just speed off and the other car just rolled slowly through the intersection and came to a stop.”

The driver of the Honda died at the scene. The passenger died two hours later at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. Their identities were not released. Two suspects were in custody and being interviewed, police said. They gave no other details. “It’s being investigated by the gang unit because of the appearance of the whole thing,” said Mario Corona, of the Santa Ana Police Department.

The victims’ car rolled to a stop in front of a row of single-story houses. All but one of its windows were shattered by bullets. As police cordoned off sections of South Flower Street, interviewed witnesses and collected bullet casings, the driver of the car remained slumped in the front seat, covered by a yellow plastic tarp.

“It’s so sad,” Choi said. “He’s just a kid, maybe 20, and he’s sitting there dead. It’s just so sad.”