freeway-91-shooting

Courtesy of KTLA

An update on the tragic shooting on the 91 Freeway near the juncture with the 57, from KTLA Channel 5:

Police were asking for the public’s help on Tuesday in finding whoever was responsible for opening fire on a family of four inside a vehicle on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim the previous night, killing a father and leaving one other man wounded.

The call came in of a possible shooting on the westbound 91 Freeway east of the 57 Freeway shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday, according to a news release from the Anaheim Police Department.

When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found the two men had been shot inside a white Ford F-150, one of them fatally, the release stated.

The victim was identified as 32-Year-Old Agustin Villegas of Anaheim, police said. He was the front passenger in the truck.

The driver of the Ford, identified only as a 42-year-old man, was wounded and taken to a hospital.

He was expected to survive, police said.

 

Two male teens, ages 13 and 15, were in the backseat of the truck at the time of the shooting, but were not injured, according to Anaheim police. They were the sons of Villegas and his cousin, who was driving the vehicle.

A preliminary investigation found that the truck was headed west on the 91 Freeway when the front windows shattered from apparent gunfire, police said.

It was not immediately known how many shots were fired, and whether they came from another vehicle on the freeway, or if someone opened fire off of the roadway.

“At this point we have no evidence to support that this was a car-to-car shooting, or if the shooting happened from someone standing on the side of the freeway,” Anaheim police Lt. Bob Dunn said. “We do know that obviously some sort of shooting occurred, but how that happened, we’re still investigating.”

The driver managed to get the car to the gore point and help his son dial 911.

Good Lord – how awful. Our prayers should go out for Mr. Villegas and his family, and for the killer(s) to be apprehended and brought to justice.

EARLIER POST ( 9:27 P.M. on July 14): I knew something was up when I heard the loud whuppa-whuppa of police helicopters over the 91 freeway from my back yard (which continue even now).

There was double-shooting on the westbound 91 freeway at the 57 freeway – details pending. In the meantime, this from KABC-TV:

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A double shooting closed the westbound 91 Freeway east of the 57 Freeway in Anaheim Monday night. One person was killed, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

The shooting was reported just after 8 p.m.

Westbound traffic on the 91 was diverted to the 55. Westbound 91 lanes were closed at N. Kraemer Blvd. The transition roads to the westbound 91 are closed from the 55 and 57 freeways. There was no immediate estimated time of reopening, the California Highway Patrol said.

Traffic was affected from Lakeview Avenue. Northbound 55 traffic was slow from Katella Avenue to the 91.

For an alternate route approaching from the westbound 91, exit Lakeview and take La Palma Avenue.

A police investigation prompted the full closure of westbound lanes.