Multiple suspects were able to flee the scene after two people were shot at a cemetery in Santa Ana Wednesday evening, officials said.
The gunfire was reported around 6:30 p.m. inside Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary at 1919 E. Santa Clara Ave., according to Santa Ana police Cpt. Anthony Bertagna.
One man was wounded, and another man was shot dead. The surviving victim was hospitalized for a non-life threatening gunshot wound, Bertagna said.
“Officers determined a large group, consisting of adults and children, assembled to honor the memory of a loved one on the anniversary of his death,” Bertagna said Thursday in a statement.
Two unidentified men approached the group and fired multiple rounds from a handgun, police said.
The suspects were able to flee the scene in a vehicle, police said.
The motive for the attack is unknown, but Bertagna said there is evidence to suggest a gang motivation and the case may be eligible for a reward through the SAPD Gang Homicide Reward Program.
Aerial video of the scene showed evidence markers set up around three folding chairs set up beneath a tree near some gravesites. Several more evidence markers surrounded nearby graves, with some in the roadway, and the slain victim’s body was laying beneath an awning at the edge of road.
Anyone who may have been at the gravesite or cemetery is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section at 714-245-8390.