Suspect sought after man shot, killed in Tustin gym

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, March 25, 2016
Suspect sought after man shot, killed in Tustin gym
A manhunt was underway in Tustin after a suspect opened fire and killed a man inside of a boxing gym.

TUSTIN, Calif. (KABC) -- A manhunt was underway in Tustin after a suspect opened fire and killed a man inside of a boxing gym Thursday.

Authorities received a call around 12:12 p.m. for reports of a shooting at the OC Boxing & MMA Academy in the 14000 block of Newport Avenue, just south of the I-5 Freeway.

"Officers responded there and located a victim inside with gunshot wounds. The victim was deceased," Tustin Police Department Lt. Robert Wright said.

Officers believe a man walked into the gym with a gun, fired several times - only hitting the victim - and then the suspect ran.

It was unclear what led to the shooting or how the suspect was able to flee the scene. There was no description of the shooter available.

Tustin High School was briefly placed on lockdown as authorities searched the area, but it was quickly deemed safe.

People who worked in the shopping center said the gym had only been open for about six months. All of them were in shock that someone was killed.

"I saw a Tustin PD with his assault rifle out. At that time, I wanted to lock my store doors just to make sure that nothing was wrong," store owner Steven Ruiz said. His business is located next door to the gym.

Authorities said this is the first murder in their city in nearly seven months. Police hope to learn something with the help of surveillance video from a nearby music store.