Shot in Neck, O.C. Man Faces Possible Paralysis
SANTA ANA — An 18-year-old Santa Ana man was shot in the base of the neck and possibly paralyzed Monday afternoon in what police believe was a gang-related attack.
The shooting occurred at 2:25 p.m. in the 2000 block of West Carriage Drive, police said. Friends of the victim, Fernando Andrade, drove him to Coastal Communities Hospital, which is not equipped to handle such trauma cases, said Santa Ana Fire Battalion Chief John Chambers.
Hospital officials told police and paramedics that the bullet severed Andrade’s first vertebrae and probably will leave him a quadriplegic. He was taken by ambulance to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where police said he was listed in critical condition.
The Police Department’s gang unit is investigating the shooting. Andrade apparently was in a car when he was shot.
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