Apr 1, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Police say Orange gunman knew victims

Jacob Knutson

Police office at a press conference in Orange, California, on April 1. — Police officers at a press conference in Orange, California, on April 1. Photo: Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Orange, California, police said Thursday that the gunman who killed four people — including a 9-year-old boy — and wounded another person at a business complex on Wednesday night knew the victims either through professional or personal relationships, according to AP.

The big picture: The incident in Orange was the third mass shooting in the United States in just over two weeks, following a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people and another in Boulder, Colorado that ended with 10 people dead.

What we know: Police said the suspect, 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, was also wounded during the shooting and was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital, though it is unclear if his injury was self-inflicted or if he was shot by police.

Police said Gonzalez had locked the gates to the business complex from the inside prior to the shooting, forcing responding officers to engage him from outside the building.
The fifth victim, a woman, was taken to an area hospital and is in critical but stable condition, according to AP.

What they're saying: "The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims," Orange Police spokesperson Lt. Jennifer Amat said in a news conference Thursday, according to CNN.

"This was not a random act of violence," she added.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) tweeted Wednesday, "Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight."

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Police say Orange gunman knew victims

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