Town reels from violent episode

An off-duty Costa Mesa police officer who fatally shot one man and wounded another during an altercation outside a Temecula restaurant was recovering at home Monday from serious head injuries, a department spokesman said.

Authorities did not release the officer’s name, citing an impending internal affairs investigation into the weekend shootings. “We consider him the victim of a crime,” Costa Mesa Police Department spokesman Lt. Clay Epperson said.

The incident occurred about 7:20 p.m. Saturday outside the Bank of Mexican Food in the 42000 block of Main Street in Old Town, where the officer was dining with his family after attending the Temecula Rod Run, a three-day custom hot rod and car show.

“We know there was a verbal altercation in the restaurant that led to a physical altercation outside,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jerry Franchville said.

Shaun Vilan, 30, whose 7-year-old son was present, and Taylor Willis, 22, of Temecula suffered gunshot wounds. Both were taken to a hospital, where Vilan died, Franchville said. Willis’ wounds were described as non-life-threatening. The officer, who authorities said has more than 10 years on the police force, was taken to a hospital and released.

“There were lots of witnesses,” Franchville said. “It’s a matter of sorting out their accounts and corroborating the statements to determine what actually happened and if the shootings were justified. We’re not treating this any differently than we would if anyone else were involved in the same situation.”

He said authorities were looking into the possibility that alcohol played a role in the shootings. According to court documents, Vilan served time in prison after a 1998 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon.

On Monday, normally placid Old Town Temecula was reeling from the violence, with blood still staining the sidewalk and a wall across the street from where the trouble began.

Shop owners traded stories and exchanged speculation about what had happened. They all agreed on one thing: that the crowds at the annual Rod Run had been larger than usual and alcohol had flowed freely.

Lorena Spencer, owner of the Painted Garden -- just feet from the blood-stained sidewalk -- said such incidents were rare.

“Normally this is a very safe place,” she said. “But the Rod Run brings in people from all over. I’d like them to take it somewhere else next year.”

Evelyn Honea, who owns the Temecula House of Jerky, said she saw a commotion around the corner from her shop about 7:30 p.m. and heard a man yelling.

“He was screaming that his brother had been shot, and a police officer was trying to calm him down,” she said.

“I went over and tried to calm him down, but he kept screaming, ‘My brother has been shot!’ I told him to sit down and say a prayer for his brother, but the police took him away.”

What happened after the argument is a matter of dispute, though police reports indicate that a physical confrontation led to the shootings.

Honea said her son, who was in the store at the time, counted five shots.

John Stillman, owner of the nearby Saddleback Station model train shop, said he was surprised that an officer would shoot in such a crowded area.

“Now someone is dead,” he said. “Meanwhile, the off-duty cop gives a statement and is allowed to leave.”

The officer has no major administrative complaints against him and is not on administrative leave, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Paul Dondero. Investigators took a handgun from him, but it was not clear whether it was his service revolver.

Dondero said he hoped the officer would be allowed to return to duty.

Riverside County investigators said they planned to turn their findings over to the district attorney’s office to determine whether charges would be filed.

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david.kelly@latimes.com

david.haldane@latimes.com

Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske contributed to this report.