Youth Slain in Shooting; Neighbors Say Gunfire Common

A 16-year-old Santa Ana youth standing in front of a house with some friends was killed in a drive-by shooting, police said Friday.

The boy, whose name was withheld by investigators while they determined whether he was an intentional target, was standing on the front lawn of a house in the 2300 block of West Elder Avenue at 8:48 p.m. Thursday when a white car drove by, Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.

Words were exchanged and a flurry of shots was fired from a pistol, hitting the youth in the chest, she said. The car sped off, and police Friday had no one in custody.

Residents in the neighborhood of single-family homes said such shootings are becoming a common occurrence.

“It’s not too bad during the day, but at night, look out,” said Sergio Lopez, 15. “It’s a nightmare. You can’t walk down the street without looking behind you.”

Students gathered around an ice cream cart near West Elder after school Friday said they did not know the victim, but two youths said they believed the shooting was part of a turf war between rival Latino gangs in the area.

“It’s happening more and more,” said Gary Vasquez, 17. “A lot of my friends are in gangs, and I’m worried for them.”

Thomas said gang shootings “are well known in that part of Santa Ana.”

Police would not disclose the names of the gangs in the area for fear of giving them notoriety, Thomas said, adding: “To do so would jeopardize the investigations.”

Officers would not comment on the nature of their investigation.

Pedro Picon, a resident in the brown house where the shooting took place, said he did not know anyone involved in the shooting. The victim did not live there, he said.

But on the street, passers-by said they worried about gunfire in the night.

“It’s a terrible environment for children,” said Sylvia Hernandez, a mother of four. “It takes a lot of discipline to keep them away from gangs.”