Suspect in Marina del Rey rooftop shooting makes 1st court appearance; charged with attempted murder
In court, Nguyen was seen smiling and at one point, made a "hand heart" with his fingers toward people in the courtroom.
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (KABC) -- The man accused of carrying out a shooting rampage from the roof of a Marina del Rey apartment building over the weekend made his first court appearance Tuesday.
Witnesses say 41-year-old Victoryloc Vinh Nguyen fired 30 to 40 shots into the air on Saturday night from the rooftop of the building. Sheriff's deputies say Nguyen was armed with a rifle.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, he's been charged with two counts of willful, deliberate, attempted murder of a peace officer; one count of attempted murder - willful, deliberate and premediated on a civilian; 10 counts of assault with a machine gun or assault weapon upon a peace officer; four counts of assault with a machine gun or assault weapon upon a civilian; one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling; and one count of first-degree residential burglary.
Nguyen pleaded not guilty to all charges Tuesday.
In court, Nguyen was seen smiling and at one point, made a "hand heart" with his fingers toward people in the courtroom. He was wearing an anti-suicide smock and was shackled.
"I am deeply outraged by the senseless shooting rampage carried out by Mr. Nguyen and I am thankful that no one was injured," District Attorney George Gascón said in a press release. "Innocent civilians and law enforcement officers were callously targeted without provocation. Our Office's Bureau of Victim Services remains readily available to assist anyone who was impacted by this horrific act. I am grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this call, helped protect the public, and de-escalated the situation which resulted in Mr. Nguyen's surrender - all without firing a single shot."
Nguyen's attorney says there is a lot of evidence in this case.
"[We've] received a lot of the written reports, but there's other videos, there's other documents that are still forthcoming, so that's standard in these cases," said attorney Gary Meastas.
Marina del Rey residents fear for their safety
The incident happened Saturday around 10:30 p.m.
According to authorities, Nguyen was wearing a tactical vest and was armed with two assault weapons and a handgun. He also carried multiple loaded magazines for the various weapons.
Nguyen allegedly fired dozens of rounds at sheriff's deputies and residents from different locations throughout the complex over a three-hour period.
One woman who spoke with Eyewitness News Tuesday but did not wish to be identified said she lives in the apartment building and thought she was going to be killed that night.
"I was phoning my mom and dad with my hands over my ears, saying goodbye to my mom and dad, because I thought it was going to die," she said.
She said they tried to alert sheriff's deputies two days before the incident about Nguyen having guns.
"There's a guy that has four guns in his apartment but you don't understand, the guy has lost his mind," said the woman. "I was like, 'He's threatening to kill himself,' and the fact that the sheriff says to us, "So? It's not illegal to kill yourself.'"
Days after the incident, residents at the complex are still shaken up.
"I doubt he'll come back here," said resident Garrett Finney. "I don't see the complex could ever let someone like that back in the place, but who knows? We'll be watching it for sure."
Nguyen's bail has been set at $5.275 million. If convicted as charged, Nguyen could face life in prison.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is still investigating this incident and asks anyone with information to contact the Marina del Rey Station at (310)482-6000.
