Reward in road-rage shooting case rises to $310,000
The Orange County community has thrown its support behind the investigation into the road-rage incident that took the life of Costa Mesa 6-year-old Aiden Leos last week.
A couple days after Orange County Supervisors Donald Wagner and Katrina Foley each contributed $50,000 apiece from the discretionary budgets of their offices to match the reward money being offered by the family, the reward posted for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case has more than doubled.
At a press conference on Thursday, Wagner said that the reward has been raised to $310,000 as the result of contributions from local businesses and community donors.
Aiden was killed when a gunman opened fire into the back seat of his mother’s car while they were heading north on the 55 Freeway in Orange on the morning of Friday, May 21. He was being driven to a kindergarten class in Yorba Linda.
The gunman fled after the shooting near West Chapman Avenue, police said. The child died after being rushed to the hospital.
Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer called on the suspects to turn themselves in. Spitzer indicated that it appeared that a woman was driving the vehicle, and the shooter appeared to be a male passenger. The vehicle has been described as a white sedan.
Spitzer issued a strong warning to the suspects, indicating that he was running short on patience as the investigation continues.
“It’s time to understand that the longer this goes on, the less sympathetic I will be to understanding why you did what you did,” Spitzer said. “The longer this goes on, you will understand this: We will catch you.
“We might not do it today, we might not do it tomorrow, it may not even be next week, but we solve crimes in this county that are as old as 40 and 50 years, and we never stop and never rest until we put the person into custody and get justice.”
Spitzer offered the suspects a “Door A or Door B” scenario. The first option involved the suspects turning themselves in and the district attorney’s office listening to what they had to say. He said Door B would come into play if they attempted to get away with their crimes.
“You knew what happened, you knew a shot was fired, and you drove away from the scene of the crime,” Spitzer said to the unknown driver. “You better turn yourself in because it’s not going to get better for you.
“To the shooter, you have to live the rest of your life knowing that you killed a 6-year-old boy.”
In his remarks, Wagner shared an anecdote that the Orange County Board of Supervisors would often conclude its meetings in the memory of a distinguished citizen of the county.
“At our meeting just passed, we adjourned in memory of Aiden, and I didn’t have a list of accomplishments,” Wagner said. “He was a 6-year-old boy. We didn’t have an opportunity to say, ‘Here are years of contributions to our community, and that’s why we’re recognizing him.’ He was a 6-year-old boy, and that perhaps is the biggest tragedy.”
Wagner added further that the community has come together to seek justice for Aiden, whose 16-year-old sister, Alexis Cloonan, was present at the press conference.
“Thank you for all the support, on behalf of my mother,” Alexis Cloonan said. “We can have a funeral as beautiful as he is; we are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support. If you have any information, please step forward, my brother deserves justice.”
Members of the public with information related to this case have been asked to contact the California Highway Patrol at (714) 567-6000, or by email at santaanachptipline@chp.ca.gov.
A website has also been set up to help gather tips at www.aiden-reward.com. A link to the GoFundMe page to support Aiden’s mother, Joanna Cloonan, is included on the website. As of 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, the GoFundMe page had raised just north of $300,000.
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