Recent Santa Ana shootings are not a sign of gang war, police say
Santa Ana police say three shootings in the city in the last week, two of them fatal, are not evidence of a gang war.
“Our investigation indicates that these incidents are not related,” Police Cpl. Jose Gonzalez said. “They just happened to fall in a week.”
However, police believe that the assaults are the result of gang activity.
Crime in the city is lower than last year. There have been 15 gang-related homicides in Santa Ana this year, compared with 18 in 2006. Six additional homicides unrelated to gangs have been recorded this year. In 2006, there were seven.
“Any time there is a reduction in these crimes, it’s good news for our community,” Gonzalez said.
Police on Wednesday were looking for three people involved in the shooting of a man a day earlier. The victim, whose name was not released because relatives had not been notified, was shot in the 200 block of East 17th Street.
The victim was walking behind a check-cashing business when three men approached him. One of them pulled out a gun and shot him. He was taken to a local hospital.
On Nov. 28, Ruben Cabanas, 26, of Santa Ana was found dead in the driver’s seat of his car in the 800 block of West Pomona Street. Police say witnesses saw two men in a dark-colored vehicle pull up to Cabanas’ parked Nissan at 5:30 p.m. The passenger of the other vehicle jumped out and fired several rounds into the Nissan, Gonzalez said.
Cabanas was struck several times in the upper body and died at the scene, Gonzalez said. The attackers fled.
On Nov. 27, Jonathan Dizon, 20, of Tustin was shot about 8:30 p.m. in the 2900 block of Bradford Place near West Dyer Road. He was found lying in the street and taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where he died.
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