On Monday, July 11, 2022, at 1:13 PM, Santa Ana Police Communications received a call from a citizen reporting a male on the east side of the street at Grand Avenue/McFadden Avenue bleeding. Officers responded and located a male down in the driveway suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his upper torso. Orange County Fire Authority arrived on scene and transported the victim to the hospital in critical condition.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the victim succumbed to his injuries. The victim has been identified as Luis Garcia (21) of Santa Ana by the Orange County Coroner’s Office.
Homicide detectives developed leads and identified the suspect to be Alex Hernandez (19) of Santa Ana.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 11:23 AM, Hernandez was taken into custody with the assistance of the Santa Ana Career Criminal Unit, Major Enforcement Team, Gang Unit and Directed Enforcement. With the concurrence from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, SAPD Homicide detectives booked Hernandez for CPC 187- Murder.
“Gang related homicide cases are some of the most complex cases to solve, with often little to no public cooperation. Solving this case with an arrest of the suspect in less than 72 hours, is the result of exceptional work coordinated by my Homicide Unit, along with the assistance of various proactive and undercover units”, said Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin.
Detectives are attempting to identify and locate any witnesses who can shed additional light on this incident. The motive at this time appears to be gang related.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at (714) 245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
