A 19-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in the fatal gang-related shooting of a 21-year-old man earlier this week, police said.
The Santa Ana Police Department received a call at 1:13 p.m. Monday from a citizen reporting a man bleeding on the east side of the street at Grand Avenue and McFadden Avenue. Officers found him down in a driveway suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his upper body.
The Orange County Fire Authority arrived on the scene and took the victim to the hospital in critical condition. He died Wednesday, police said. The victim was identified by the Orange County coroner’s office as Luis Garcia of Santa Ana.
Homicide detectives developed leads and identified the suspect to be Alex Hernandez of Santa Ana. He was taken into custody at 11:23 a.m. Wednesday with the assistance of the Santa Ana Career Criminal Unit, Major Enforcement Team, Gang Unit and Directed Enforcement, police said.
Hernandez was booked on suspicion of murder.
“Gang-related homicide cases are some of the most complex cases to solve, with often little to no public cooperation,” Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin said. “Solving this case with an arrest of the suspect in less than 72 hours, is the result of exceptional work coordinated by my Homicide Unit, along with the assistance of various proactive and undercover units.”
Authorities said the motive at this time appears to be gang-related, and detectives are attempting to identify and locate any witnesses who can shed additional light on the shooting. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at 714-245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.