Orange Mass Shooting: Victims Trapped, Child Dies In Mom's Arms

ORANGE, CA —City of Orange Police Department officers identified 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez of Fullerton as the suspect who shot and killed four people Wednesday and wounded another. One victim, a 9-year-old boy, died in his mother's arms as she was trying to save him, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said on Thursday.

That woman was the lone survivor and is fighting for her life today.

Gonzalez is also currently hospitalized and listed in critical but stable condition, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The massacre wasn't random, and it appears to have been carefully planned, investigators said.

"All of the adults involved in the shooting were connected," Spitzer said.

Details on Gonzalez's background were not provided. Still, Amat said the "preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims."

"It appears all of the adults were connected through either a business or personal relationship, and this was not a random act of violence," City of Orange Police Lt. Jennifer Amat said. "... To reiterate, this appears to be an isolated incident, and we believe everybody knew each other, whether through a business or personal relationship."

Spitzer said that Gonzalez "decided to use deadly force" to resolve a dispute and "he will suffer and face the consequences."

Read: 5 Things To Know About The City Of Orange Mass Shooting

Planned Mass Shooting at Orange Mobile Home Real Estate Office

On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Gonzalez arrived at the office building in the 200 block of West Lincoln Avenue, according to Amat. The shooting happened at Unified Homes, a mobile home dealer and real estate service.

As he arrived at the scene, Gonzalez used bicycle locks to secure gates on both the south and north side of the building's courtyard trapping those inside and ensuring no one else could enter, according to police.

Police were already in the area and were able to respond immediately to multiple 911 calls of shots fired, said incoming Police Chief Dan Adams, who will take over for Tom Kisela, who is retiring on July 3.

Responding officers remained locked out until bolt cutters were brought to the location, Amat said.

Gonzalez, who used a semi-automatic gun in the attack, was shot by police in the building's courtyard in the 200 block of West Lincoln Avenue, Amat said.

The shooting happened at Unified Homes, a mobile home dealer and real estate service. It is not yet known if Gonzalez fired at police upon their arrival.

Officers discovered the wounded woman and her deceased son in a courtyard, still locked within the complex, according to Amat. Another woman was found on an upstairs, outdoor landing, already dead. One man was found, deceased, inside the office building, and a third woman was found in a separate building in the complex.

Investigators found a semi-automatic handgun and a backpack containing pepper spray, handcuffs, and ammunition belonging to Gonzalez at the scene, according to Amat.

The shooting drew a heavy law enforcement presence with more than a dozen police cars and a SWAT vehicle at the building, including fire engines from multiple fire departments. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also sent agents to the scene, as did the District Attorney's Office.

Amat said the city had not seen such violence since 1997 when five people were killed and two others wounded when a state employee opened fire at the Caltrans facility near Batavia Street and Taft Avenue. Arturo Reyes Torres, 41, of Huntington Beach, was shot and killed by police a short distance away from the maintenance yard.

Though the shooting spree was an isolated incident, according to Amat, Gonzalez's history with the victims is being made clear.

He has a history of child abuse and was known to have weapons from previous charges filed at the Orange County Superior Court.

Gonzalez, named as Aminadab Gaxiola in court records, was charged in April 2015 with misdemeanor counts of child abuse and endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and battery in a case in which he allegedly assaulted a boy in his care or custody with an umbrella on March 31, 2015, in Anaheim. All charges against Gonzalez were expunged after he successfully cleared probation, records show.

Officials Comment On The Mass Shooting Tragedy In Orange

Gov. Gavin Newsom called Wednesday's shooting "horrifying and heartbreaking."

"Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy," Newsom tweeted.

Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, whose district includes Orange, said she was "deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and I'm continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said, "Here we are again: another mass shooting, more lives needlessly lost and a feeling of outrage that these massacres happen over and over again. Even more heartbreaking, last night's shooting in Orange left a child among the dead. My heart goes out to the victims and their families, but I feel angry as well. Angry that there are so many guns in this country, angry that it's so easy for anyone to purchase these deadly weapons and angry that Democrats in Congress for years have been blocked from enacting gun-safety laws that could save lives."

"There are bills ready to go that mandate universal background checks, ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, prohibit the sale of military-style assault weapons and raise the age to buy an assault rifle," Feinstein said. "Each of these bills deserves to be debated and voted on. We must act or we'll keep seeing these bloody massacres and witness more and more bodies pile up."

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, whose district includes Orange, issued a statement saying he was "devastated by the news that a child and three others died in a mass shooting in Orange. We must all condemn this unspeakable act of violence. ... However, this shooting did not take place in a vacuum. In the past month, our nation has seen 20 mass shootings. Communities all across the country are experiencing the same pain and devastation that we feel today. I mourn for those lost last night and throughout the United States. This violence must end."

"Let me make this very clear," Spitzer said. "Mr. Gonzalez is eligible for the death penalty."

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