A group of suspects remain at large after a person was shot and killed in a quiet Irvine neighborhood on Thursday.
Irvine police responded to reports of a shooting near Athel Avenue and Sego Street around 12:37 p.m. Callers told police they heard a man screaming for help.
Arriving officers found the victim lying on the ground while being attended to by witnesses and residents in the area.
The victim, identified as 19-year-old Nicholas Alistair Neaimi-Pour, of Costa Mesa, was shot multiple times in the upper torso area, police said.
Orange County Fire Authority crews arrived on the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The suspects fled the area before officers could arrive. No suspect information is known, but their vehicles are described as a black Mercedes sedan and a white Honda, possibly a Civic or an Accord.
The incident was described as a car-to-car shooting between all males. According to witnesses, the suspect vehicle pulled up on the wrong side of the street and the white Honda pulled up to the vehicle, both passenger sides facing each other, police explained.
The passenger inside the white Honda is believed to be the shooter, police said. The victim was seated on the passenger side of the Mercedes. For unknown reasons, that’s when shots were fired, authorities said.
“Things like this don’t usually happen in residential neighborhoods, specifically in Irvine, in broad daylight with people home and walking about,” police said. “Although we don’t have any specific details as to how this happened or why this happened, it appears it was not random.”
After being shot, police said it’s unclear whether the victim stepped out of the vehicle himself or whether he was dragged out or removed by someone else.
“For whatever reason, it seems the victim was targeted,” police said. “Our investigation will continue until we figure this out. The victim lives in South County, so there is no indication why they would be in this area.”
Authorities are canvassing the area for any surveillance video or evidence leading to the suspects’ identity. Anyone with information is asked to call the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7000.