Three men were shot to death in apparently unrelated incidents over the weekend in Santa Ana and Westminster.
Four are in custody in the first slaying.
Just before 1:30 p.m. Friday, Santa Ana police officers arrived in an alley behind 1909 W. Myrtle St. to find Mariano Labra Ramos, 36, had been shot in the lower part of his body. Orange County Fire Authority personnel took him to a hospital, where he died of his injuries at 2:55 p.m. Investigation back at the scene led officers to take two adults and two juveniles into custody on suspicion of murder, according to police. The names of the minors were withheld, but the adults are Alexis Asuncion, 18, and Felix Vargas, 20, both of Santa Ana. But the investigation continues, and anyone with helpful information is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Department at 714.245.8390.
Officers responding to a report of shots fired arrived at the Motel 6 in the 13100 block of Goldenwest Street in Westminster just after 9 p.m., when they found an unidentified man who died at the scene. No suspects were immediately taken into custody and the investigation continues, according to the Westminster Police Department.
A report of a man down sent officers to an alley behind 923 S. Standard Ave., Santa Ana, just after 2 a.m. Sunday, when Raul Rios was found suffering from a gunshot wound. The 26-year-old Santa Ana resident was taken by OCFA personnel to a local trauma center, where Rios was pronounced deceased at 4:19 a.m. There are no suspects in custody, and anyone with information is asked to call SAPD homicide detectives at 714.245.8390. Anonymous tips can be left with Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.