VILLA PARK, Calif. — Investigators have released the name of the first of three victims shot and killed by a gunman in Orange County Tuesday morning.
20-year-old Courtney Aoki of Buena Park was the first victim of the shooting rampage. Her relationship with the shooter is still unknown.
Police say 20-year-old Ali Syed, a college student, committed the three murders and wounded three others before taking his own life in 75 minutes of terror.
Detectives say he began his rampage in Ladera Ranch, where he murdered Aoki inside his parents’ home.
Syed then drove to Tustin, Santa Ana and back to Tustin, carjacking three vehicles, killing two more victims and shooting at morning commuters on the 55 Freeway.
Then, with the California Highway Patrol in pursuit, Syed pulled off in Villa Park, aimed the shotgun at his own head, and pulled the trigger.
Authorities were stunned by what they described as the “senseless violence.” Syed had no criminal record and left few clues as to a possible motive, police said.
Police discovered Aoki around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday at a condo on Red Leaf Lane in Ladera Ranch.
Syed, who was unemployed and enrolled in a class at Saddleback College, lived there with his parents. It was his parents who called 911, according to police.
“I heard three to five pops, and they could have been bangs, I didn’t know what they were,” said neighbor Scott Glass. “I didn’t think anything of it.”
That would change after responding Orange County sheriff’s deputies found Aoki, who had been shot multiple times.
Meanwhile, Syed had taken off in the family’s black GMC Yukon, armed with at least one shotgun, authorities said. Possibly in his haste to flee, police said, he damaged the vehicle.
He exited Interstate 5 at Red Hill Avenue in Tustin about 5 a.m. and pulled into a Denny’s parking lot.
There, a man was sitting in an older-model blue Cadillac, waiting for his son to carpool to work.
According to police, Syed pointed his weapon at the man and ordered him out of the car.
Instead, the man sped away and Syed opened fire, shattering the rear window of the Cadillac and striking the man in the back of the head. The man was later treated at a hospital.
The gunman kept going to a nearby Mobil station, authorities said, where he spotted a man pumping gas.
“When they made eye contact, Syed started running toward the victim,” said Tustin Police Chief Scott Jordan.
“He said to him, ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I just killed someone. Give me your keys. This is my last day,’” according to Jordan.
Syed took the man’s Dodge pickup and headed north on Interstate 5, authorities said.
After merging onto the southbound 55 Freeway, he stopped on the shoulder, got out of the truck and opened fire on passing motorists.
He hit at least three cars, and one driver was injured by flying glass, according to police.
Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said the gunman may have realized that the pickup was low on fuel and was trying to steal a second vehicle.
He ultimately returned to the stolen pickup and got off the freeway at Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana.
He hit another vehicle, slammed into a divider and abandoned the truck, authorities said. Then he approached a BMW that was stopped nearby, with his gun drawn.
Melvin L. Edwards, 69, of Laguna Hills, was on his way to work at Rubicon Gear, a small family business that manufactures high-precision gears and shafts.
Colleagues described the former U.S. Army combat infantry officer who served in Vietnam as easygoing, hardworking and generous with his employees.
Syed ordered Edwards out of the BMW and directed him to the curb, authorities said. He cooperated, but the gunman killed Edwards anyways.
“Walked him across the road and executed him… Shot him three times,” Jordan said.
The gunman then sped away in the BMW to a Micro Center computer store in Tustin.
Soon thereafter, workers at a nearby Fairfield Inn construction site heard gunfire.
A plumbing supervisor apparently spotted one of his co-workers being chased through an overflow parking lot and drove over to help him.
The co-worker, Jeremy Lewis, 26, of Fullerton, had just arrived for his 6 a.m. shift when, authorities said, Syed shot and killed him.
The supervisor who had gone to his aid was shot in the arm, police said. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for his wounds.
“It’s just heart-wrenching to look across the street and see what I see now. It’s bad. It’s really bad,” said a man who worked with the victims.
He said the victims were “just two good honest guys. They were just trying to make a living. Things happen so quick. One minute we’re sitting on the tailgate, the next minute tragedy happens.”
From there, Syed took off in one of the construction site’s work trucks.
California Highway Patrol officers spotted him on the northbound 55 Freeway shortly before 6 a.m.
He exited the freeway at Katella Avenue and got out of the vehicle while it was still in motion near East Katella and North Wanda Road, according to authorities.
That’s when Syed raised a shotgun to his head and fired, killing himself.
Back at the suspected killer’s home, at least one neighbor said that he wasn’t surprised by what had happened.
“He was just one of those people, you know, that looked like trouble,” neighbor Josh Hubner said. “Like when you saw him you should stay away from him.”
-KTLA/Los Angeles Times
690 Comments to “First Victim of O.C. Gunman Identified by Police”
February 20, 2013 at 7:10 AM
SOUNDS LIKE A VIDEO GAME HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLAYING
February 20, 2013 at 7:18 AM
SOUNDS LIKE A VIDEO GAME HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PLAYING AND PLAYED IT OUT ( GRAND THEFT AUTO ) that all you do in that game is car jack some body are kill somebody get the hooker it a old game look it up
February 20, 2013 at 8:08 AM
yeah, im racist. i only go out with big, huge, white men!! mmmmmmmm
February 20, 2013 at 8:14 AM
I am waiting for the protests and show of support for this shooter.
I mean, if Dorner has a support group, I am sure this clown will have the same.
After all, something made this guy kill. it wasn't his fault.
February 20, 2013 at 8:40 AM
This cant even be compared to the dorner case!! Thats why you dont see supporters for this guy…
February 20, 2013 at 8:48 AM
If the guy was black, some group would find justification for his "rage against injustice."
Dorner killed people that did not fire him, but who symbolized his targets.
Soon we will find this kids rational and it will make as much sense to him as Dorner's rage made to Dorner.
February 20, 2013 at 8:15 AM
All of this could have been ended quickly if a law abiding citizen who was armed would have neutralized this idiot when his rampage began. You all know this is true. The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun. The cops didn't save anybody…. did they. Arm yourself and take responsibility for your own safety. Support your second amendment rights!
February 20, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Yep! good job media…give more details. Just so you know your responsible for the copycats. It seems like people are doing this all the time….if other crazy people didnt get the idea it wouldnt be happening like it does. Great job! Just like Columbine…Now we have school shootings all the time. Just keep advertising this shit.
February 20, 2013 at 8:47 AM
"unemployed and enrolled in a class at Saddleback College" does not make one a "college student".
It makes one *unemployed* and enrolled in a *[one]* class at a *community college*…..
February 20, 2013 at 8:50 AM
They keep talking about stupid gun laws…what are you going to say to someone whos about to shoot you? "ITS THE LAW, YOU CANT HAVE A GUN" seriously our system is so jacked!!! I say let the innocent people have guns to protect themselves against all the crazies who get guns regardless! maybe then the poor people that had there cars taken then killed could have been able to protect themselves!
February 20, 2013 at 10:36 AM
There is no law that states, "you cannot have a gun." And there are steps that California citizens can take to carry a concealed weapon, however the process is arduous and lengthy.
Although there may be benefits of arming our citizens, think about how many armed citizens can actually shoot in a stressful situation. Take the hypothetical scenario of someone haphazardly shooting a group of people. Ten civilians in close proximity, with some being shot at, are armed while five actually have enough time to draw their guns and take aim. Taking in that these five are only casual shooters who bare arms in public for the rare event that someone may shoot them, three of those five may actually hit the shooter while the other two will miss completely, potentially injuring or killing others. And this is only in the event that each innocent, armed citizen's gun discharges once. Based on scenarios like this, more potentially fatal, stray bullets may create more havoc than help. We would be going back to the wild west.
February 20, 2013 at 8:54 AM
This is probably another young person with an UNTREATED MENTAL ILLNESS and ACCESS TO GUNS. The two just don't mix…..
February 20, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Who cares that I'm white and stupid??!! I'm also queer!!
February 20, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Another flaw with letting illegal undocumented immgrants into this country. No one knows their mental health or criminal records and there's no way of getting that information.
February 20, 2013 at 11:30 AM
We all know that white people are stupid, ScottyBoy. I'm in your boat. Haaaaaaaayyyy!!
February 20, 2013 at 12:41 PM
This could have ended quickly if a good law abiding citizen would have been in the area packing heat. With the budget cuts and emergency services being shorted that’s what it’s going to have to come to. But some people are to blind to understand that. You fight fire with fire.
February 20, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Damn, the LAPD
February 20, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Mental health issues, maybe he was on pharmaceuticals, or maybe he needed to be. Several things to point out here. 1) Parenting – Did his parents have what it took to deal w/ him or didn't they? 2) If help was available, maybe he didn't take to it. A lot of people don't. 3) Was he on meds or not? Guns were available to him, probably from the home. One thing is very clear, he as an incredibly disturbed individual who took it out on a lot of people. I'm deeply sorry for the loss of lives here. Him, well he needed to be locked up before things even got this point.
February 20, 2013 at 1:04 PM
Don't rule out a Jihadist agenda.
February 20, 2013 at 1:30 PM
If we all legally armed chances are the death toll on this incident maybe reduced to 1…. the gunman! I just cant even imagine if I'm being cornered and unarmed about to get my or my love ones head blown off! Guns preserved the lives! Now if you say more deaths due to more guns because 2 legally armed and sane citizens wants to take their anger out of each other so be it! Thats their choice.
February 20, 2013 at 3:43 PM
First victim Courtney Aoki
http://www.exploretalent.com/courtneyaoki?turn_on…
February 20, 2013 at 4:09 PM
as odd as it sounds since the parents were home, this may turn out to be a call girl. Nobody knows her. Aspiring actress/talent. He has few friends/social network. She came from No. OC. 4:45 in the morning
February 20, 2013 at 5:05 PM
We must fight to end the tyranny by law enforcement! See what they do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPYDv0frIqo
February 20, 2013 at 5:19 PM
we dont need stricter gun laws what we need is the Sheriffs and PD Chiefs to hand out more CCW's for law abiding citizens in order to protect ourselves or atleast have a fighting chance.
February 20, 2013 at 7:13 PM
attention all capable law abiding citizens… time to start packing and end this bs now !! it's time we turned things around on these criminals and put them in their place… the ground ! IT'S TIME FOR ALL GOOD AMERICANS TO STAND UP TO THESE CRIMINALS ! OR AT LEAST GO DOWN FIGHTING.. DON'T BE A VICTIM !!!
February 20, 2013 at 8:57 PM
For interview on Ali Syed's classmates and professor…
http://www.lariatnews.com/news/update-ali-syed-s-…
February 20, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Another MW3 Fallen Soldier!
February 20, 2013 at 11:44 PM
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February 21, 2013 at 3:34 AM
This was a typical scenario from the video game Grand Theft Auto, kill a hooker then carjack and kill as many people as you can before the cops get you, why else would he keep carjacking people when he didn't need another car, for the POINTS! He wanted his last game to have a high score.
February 21, 2013 at 6:31 AM
This kid was in la la land, thought he was a character in Grand Theft Auto.
February 21, 2013 at 6:15 PM
Yet another Muslim terrorist.
February 22, 2013 at 12:55 PM
so it was a shotgun.. uncle Joe told us these are safe and the best guns for us….. ca has the strictest gun laws in country how did this happen????? help democants help… wait i figured it out already this was a jihad spree the media will not report it but i am guessing his computer will tell us what the media and liberals will try to cover up just like fort hood….. if your killed by a uniformed afghan jihad solider on base in Afghanistan its war if your killed on base in the us by a uniformed jihad-est terrorist its workplace violence… what will this be obama road rage???