Friday was another bloody day in Santa Ana as yet another shooting took place. This time a man in his 20’s was shot in the face, at the 3300 block of South Bristol St., according to the O.C. Register.
The victim was found at South Bristol St. and and West MacArthur Blvd. He ended up at a local hospital, in serious condition.
The police were not able to find any witnesses to the shooting but several people heard a gunshot and three males were seen running into a light-colored truck and speeding away going north on Bristol.
One of our readers also reported that there was another shooting near Harbor and First, just north of Santa Anita Park, at around 11:45 p.m. and the shooter apparently unloaded a clip. There was a police helicopter on the scene afterwards but there were no other media reports about the incident.
Another of our readers reported that he heard a single gun shot at about 3 a.m. this morning, and an ambulance and crime scene investigators’ van showed up, at Chestnut just East from Birch, near Santa Ana High School.
There have been about 24 reports of assaults with weapons and shootings at dwellings in Santa Ana since New Year’s Day, according to CrimeMapping and most of them have been gang related. Incredibly there has been only one fatality.
Update – another of our readers has reported hearing gunshots last night at Bristol and 10th, just south of Santa Ana College.
The shooting on South Bristol St. took place in Santa Ana’s Ward 4, which is represented by Councilman David Benavides. The shooting near Harbor and First took place in Santa Ana’s Ward 5, which is represented by Councilman Roman Reyna, who is up for reelection this November. The shooting at Chestnut and Birch took place in Santa Ana’s Ward 2, which is represented by Councilwoman Michele Martinez.
It is worth pointing out that the violence in Santa Ana has greatly escalated since the City Council forced former Police Chief Paul Walters out (he is now Chief of Staff to Supervisor Lisa Bartlett). The City Council has not acknowledged the ongoing gang war and the police have been working overtime just reacting to the crime wave.
At some point we are going to need a curfew in this city.
CRIME IS DOWN!
It sure doesn’t feel that way.
How is Paul Walters able to work as a retired police officer but according to Santana City MisManager Dave Cavazos the park rangers who were retired police officers were breaking the law?
Not to mention the raise Cavazos arranged for his city executives…
Fyi: the proper term is MAGAZINE not CLIP.
Editor – It is ridiculous to push a personal agenda by concluding that the rise in crime in Santa Ana is a result of the council forcing Walters out. Although Walters was an excellent chief, the rise in crime is, in fact, a direct result of proposition 47 and state assembly bill 109, that the voters of this state (and Santa Ana) voted into law. Santa Ana PD is also severely understaffed, which has been the case since before Walters left. It’s no secret this publication is one sided, but please don’t reach like this. It makes you look bad
While those measures and bills may or may not have had an effect these are the facts you are not considering:
1. The SAPD remains vastly understaffed.
2. Councilman Reyna was caught posing in a picture with members of the Mexican Mafia while he was running for Mayor. The Santa Ana Police Officers Association asked him for an explanation. He did not offer one so they opposed his mayoral campaign. His brother died in prison. Reyna was shot while in a park when he was young.
3. Councilwoman Michele Martinez was a drug dealer, by her own admission, when she was a teenager. Her half-brother was arrested for parole violations when she ran unsuccessfully for Mayor.
4. Police Chief Carlos Rojas had ZERO experience as a Police Chief and the Council did a poor job of searching for a replacement for Walters
The facts are the facts. Gang violence is out of control and the City Council has not addressed this at all.
I don’t understand why we are complaining about gang members in the community when the police itself needs to be investigated all the way down the line to people in congress. Nobody wants to really step up and put there lives on the line to sacrifice because if they do its not only there lives but there families lives also that will be changed… All the way to the middle East. The real problems come from inside our very own corrupt governments all the way into the streets of America. We have to admit that the laws only serves the interest of those who own the banks, period. All else doesn’t matter. The root tracing all they way back to the beginning of time.
A Council man or Police have Nothing to do with Gang violence they can’t stop what’s been going on for years it takes one knucklehead to act stupid another knucklehead to be stupid and the circle keeps turning so let these idiots kill themselves one less knucklehead to worry about in the streets or catch them and put them on the front lines and see how bad they really are with a gun this is my opinion
You have to keep the kids out of the gangs in the first place.
I agree with you mr. Editor it is a known fact that the bill clinton administration had a lot more funds for prevention programs , during that period the gang influence and violence were down , but those funds have been cut or redirected to more enforcment rather than prevention, the way I see it , why is there more school police officers than sport coaches in our school system? The uptick in gang violent only plays in favor of this people because they can now justify their enormous salaries (police chief rojas)
Unless we are provided proof of any victim whether it is the shooter or the iniured, I will assume that this is all a fraud to push the gun control agenda. I mean, why the sudden increase in violence? Plus we all know our city councilman and our city cops are currupt…
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