Orange police said Wednesday that video obtained in the investigation into the fatal shooting of four people at an office building last month could help the prosecution of the suspected gunman.
Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 44, has been named the sole suspect in the March 31 shooting at Unified Homes, a business that sells manufactured homes, according to police. The company’s owner, Luis Tovar, his daughter Genevieve Raygoza, company employee Leticia Solis Guzman and 9-year-old Matthew Farias all died in the shooting.
Farias died in the arms of his mother, Blanca Ismeralda Tamayo, who is also Raygoza’s mother and also worked at Unified Homes, family members have told KTLA. She was seriously wounded in the shooting and remained in critical condition the following evening, they said.
On Wednesday, the Orange Police Department was scheduled to host an 11:30 a.m. news conference to offer new updates in the case. When it started a little over an hour later, Lt. Jennifer Amat spoke for less than two minutes and told reporters the department would not be releasing the newly obtained video or any details about it — citing the input of O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
“Certainly you may be aware, this is one of the most significant and tragic shootings ever to occur in the city of Orange,” Amat said. “At this point, given the sensitivity of the investigation, and the district attorney’s concerns, I do not have any more information I can offer.”
“And I will not be taking any questions,” she said.
Amat said Tamayo is currently in stable condition and continues to be treated for her injuries. She added that Gaxiola, who was also wounded, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Investigators are still trying to determine a definite motive, but authorities have said it appears related to the fact that Gaxiola had personal and business relationships with some of the victims.
“It appears all of the adults were connected either by business or a personal relationship, and this was not a random act of violence,” Amat said at a news conference the day after the tragic shooting.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired at the business located at 202 W. Lincoln Ave. around 5:30 p.m. on March 31, according to police. But when they arrived, they found the gates to the courtyard were locked from the inside, Amat said. At least one officer opened fire on the shooter as police responded, but it’s unclear if he was wounded by police gunfire or his own, she said.
Gaxiola is facing charges including four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in connection with allegedly firing at Tamayo and two officers, who were not wounded.
Prosecutors have said Gaxiola is eligible for the death penalty since the deadly shooting involved multiple victims, making it a special circumstance case. They have said they are looking into whether locking the gates constituted lying in wait, which would be another special circumstance.
Amat said investigators found a semi-automatic handgun as well as ammunition, pepper spray and handcuffs inside a backpack at the scene, which they believe all belong to the suspected killer.
Police have said Gaxiola is believed to have been living at an Anaheim motel and arrived to the scene in a rental car, which was later found in the parking lot of the office complex.
The shooting is the worst one the city has seen in more than 20 years, Amat has said. It was the nation’s third mass shooting within a period of just over two weeks, the Associated Press reported.