2 Men in Car Fatally Shot in La Habra

Two men were shot and killed Friday evening near a busy La Habra intersection by two men riding in the car with them, authorities said.

The shooting, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m., followed an argument among the four men, who pulled their 2000 Acura sedan over to the side of the road near Lambert Road and Whitebook Drive, said La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp.

One victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The other, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange in critical condition; he later died at the hospital, authorities said.

As of late Friday, police said they had yet to determine the identities of the victims or the killers or a reason for the argument.

“We are not able to establish any motive for the crime yet,” Police Capt. Jeff Love said.

Officers are searching for the two men who sped away in the Acura, described as blue-gray with California license plate 4KAD698.

Police said they believe that the car continued east on Lambert after the shooting.

Neighbors said they heard three or four gunshots, which brought an immediate halt to Fourth of July barbecues and other celebrations in the neighborhood of apartments and single-family homes.

One passerby, who gave her name only as Sylvia, said she was returning from work when she saw two wounded men lying at the side of the road.

“There were just two guys shot in the face,” she said. “I thought the two guys had been run over.”

Valerie Jones, 21, said she saw an ambulance pull away soon after the shooting. Jones said that a woman in her 30s with two young girls was talking to police.

The shootings took place a few hundred yards from the site of another fatal shooting in January, when a 20-year-old man was gunned down outside a mobile home park.

Despite the violence, neighbors say the area is safe for families.

“This is shocking, totally shocking,” said Connie Ordaz, 53.

“I don’t think any place goes without crime, but you don’t expect it to be out front of your door.”