A Santa Ana man who shot two 13-year-old boys in Santa Ana from a car, killing one and wounding another as he stood in his kitchen, may face legal charges, Orange County prosecutors said. Life imprisonment.
Raymond Mario Jimenez, 27, has been charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a June 5 drive-by shooting on Pine Street in Santa Ana, Orange County . Atty. Todd Spitzer’s office said in a news release Monday.
Prosecutors said that around 12:15 p.m., minutes after some kind of confrontation, the two 13-year-old boys were running toward their Bishop Avenue apartment complex when Jimenez drove up, stopped, and Shot at them from the car. Daniel Vargas, 13, was shot in the head and died. The second victim, a 16-year-old boy who authorities said heard gunshots and looked out the kitchen window, was also shot in the head but survived.
Prosecutors said the shooting occurred near an elementary school, forcing the school to close.
Police found Daniel lying injured on the ground near the sidewalk. Another 13-year-old boy was found in the area and was not injured, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The 16-year-old was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, prosecutors said. Daniel was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center, where he died two days after the shooting.
Homicide investigators arrested and booked Jimenez the same day Daniel died. He was charged on June 11 with murder, attempted murder, shooting into an inhabited dwelling and six felonies related to discharging a firearm causing serious bodily injury or death. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jimenez is scheduled to go to trial on July 10.
A GoFundMe page set up to help Daniel’s family with funeral expenses said people knew him for “his passion for football and excitement about starting high school.”
He recently graduated from Santa Ana Mendez Basic High School, according to the post.
Prosecutors have not revealed a motive behind the drive-by shooting, but the Santa Ana Police Department said any tips related to the case will be eligible for the department’s reward program.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Santa Ana Police Department homicide detectives at (714) 245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) 847-6227.
