UPDATE, MARCH 25, 2:42 P.M.: The Santa Ana Police Department released separate advisories this afternoon that shed light on Thursday night’s slayings of bicyclists on opposite ends of town. Kevin Sotelo is identified as the man found dead at the intersection of Hazard and Morse, where around 8:30 p.m. an unknown vehicle containing multiple people stopped and fired multiple rounds at the bicyclist before fleeing the scene, police say.
David Adam Bernal, 25, of Santa Ana, is identified as the man shot multiple times a little more than an hour later in an alley near the 400 Block of South Birch Street. “The initial investigation has revealed there was argument between the victim and one or two males in the alley,” reads the police advisory. “The suspect(s) then began to punch the victim and, subsequently, one of the suspects shot the decedent multiple times.” They fled the scene on foot.
Anyone with information on either case is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Homicide Unit at 714.245.8390. Anonymous tips may be left with Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855.847.6227 (855-TIP-OCCS), via occrimestoppers.org or by texting to 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) from a cell phone. (All text messages should begin with the letters “OCCS”.)
ORIGINAL POST, MARCH 25, 10:50 A.M.: Two bicyclists were shot and killed in Santa Ana Thursday night in what police describe as separate gang-related shootings.
The first happened in the 4000 block of West Hazard Avenue just before 10 p.m., according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, the department spokesman.
Witnesses saw a car pass by and then shots were fired at the bicyclist, Bertagna said.
The second incident happened a few minutes later in the 400 block of South Birch Street, where witnesses reported a shooter walked up to the bicyclist, fired and darted off, according to Bertagna.
No suspect descriptions were released.
Both victims, whose identifications were pending notification of next of kin, were dead at the scenes when police arrived, Bertagna said.
He added the shootings appeared to be gang related but that there was no evidence yet of them being connected as they were on opposite ends of Santa Ana.
