Santa Ana shooting: 1 killed, 2 injured in car

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A search is underway for a gunman who shot three people sitting inside a parked car in Santa Ana. A man was killed and two women were critically injured.

Police say a suspect approached the red four-door Chevy on foot and fired at least 10 rounds around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Main and West 12th streets, killing Aaron Jonathan Chavez, 23, of Santa Ana. The suspect ran off, got into a white SUV that was parked nearby and drove away from the scene.

Chavez was sitting in the front passenger seat. He died by the time police arrived, according to detectives. The two surviving victims were hospitalized and remain in critical but stable condition. Police say each woman had more gunshot wounds than the man killed.

"Whether he was targeting one individual or all of them, that's yet to be determined," said Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.

The person in the driver's seat was only identified as a 21-year-old woman from Anaheim, and the passenger in the backseat was a 28-year-old woman from Santa Ana. Police say the women could end up being the best witnesses once they recover.

The motive for the shooting is unknown, but police say it does not appear to be gang-related. Investigators do not believe it was a robbery because personal belongings were not taken from the car.

While Santa Ana police cannot say for sure, there's a possibility this was a drug deal.

"The vehicle is being processed -- what's inside the vehicle, is there evidence inside the vehicle that provides the detectives with additional information why it occurred," said Bertagna.

Homicide detectives are looking at surveillance cameras throughout the downtown area, hoping to spot any unusual activity before the deadly shooting.

Anyone with information was asked to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP- OCCS.