A man suspected of killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy, at an Orange office complex earlier this week has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, faces four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
He has also been charged with felony enhancements of the personal discharge of a firearm causing death, one felony enhancement of the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, one felony enhancement of premeditation, one felony enhancement of the personal use of a firearm and one felony enhancement of the personal discharge of a firearm.
Prosecutors are alleging the special circumstance of multiple murders. Gaxiola is eligible for the death penalty in connection with the mass shooting.
He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday from his hospital bed, but the matter was postponed to Monday, officials said.
The charges come as officials and family members have identified the victims in the shooting. The youngest, Matthew Farias, died in the arms of his mother, Blanca Tamayo, who remained in critical condition Thursday night, according to relatives of victims. The boy usually went to daycare, but had been at the office with his mother that day, a family member told The Associated Press.
The others fatally shot include 50-year-old Luis Tovar, owner of the Unified Homes mobile home business where the shooting took place, Tovar’s 28-year-old daughter Genevieve Raygoza, and 58-year-old Leticia Solis Guzman, another of Tovar’s daughters told KTLA.
The incident began about 5:35 p.m. Wednesday when a caller reported a man shooting into a business at 202 W. Lincoln Ave.
When police arrived minutes later, they found the gates to the courtyard had been locked with a bicycle cable lock and they were unable to get in.
Gaxiola allegedly shot at the two officers, who returned fire and wounded the suspect.
Officers had to use bolt cutters to gain access to the courtyard and found the four victims. Tovar was found in an office, while Raygoza died on the second floor walkway, according to Orange County coroner’s records. They had been shot multiple times.
Authorities revealed that Gaxiola, of Fullerton, had “both personal and business connections” to all the adult victims.
It is unclear, however, what led to the fatal incident.
Gaxiola was spotted on security video wearing a bandana over his face, brandishing a semiautomatic handgun and hauling a backpack that contained pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition, police said. He had been staying at a motel in Anaheim and used a rented car to get to the office building.
“Our hearts are shattered into a million pieces as the community mourns the loss of four innocent lives, including a young boy, as a result of the horrific events that unfolded Wednesday evening,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a news release.
“The taking of the life of another human being is the most serious of crimes and the slaughter of multiple people while they were essentially locked in a shooting gallery is nothing short of terrifying … The residents of Orange County can rest assured that the District Attorney’s Office is taking every possible step to ensure that every aspect of this case and the subsequent officer-involved shooting is thoroughly reviewed and that justice will be served for each and every victim.”
Gaxiola was charged in 2015 in Orange County with cruelty to a child and other counts. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and served one day in jail. All other counts were dismissed, and the conviction was expunged in 2017, said Lauren Gold, spokeswoman for the city of Anaheim.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money for the victims’ families.
