A 19-year-old man was charged with murder Thursday in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old in downtown Santa Ana last month, police announced.
Mateo Jerome Paul of Gardena was seen on surveillance footage shooting 18-year-old Zion Gonzalez of Moreno Valley outside of the West End Kitchen & Pub, located at 300 W. Fifth St., the Santa Ana Police Department said in a press release.
The shooting, which occurred at about 10:40 p.m. on Jan. 22, began with an altercation between “suspected out of county gang members” inside the restaurant, the release said.
Gonzalez, who suffered gunshot wounds to his upper torso, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Orange County Fire Authority, police said.
Paul was formally charged with murder by the Orange County District Attorney’s office on Thursday.
“Ensuring a safe and vibrant Downtown for all is one of our highest priorities,” Police Chief David Valentin stated in the release. “Our highly skilled and committed homicide detectives, along with our community partnerships and our collaboration with the Gardena Police Department, is the reason this violent criminal was quickly apprehended. We will continue our critical community partnerships to address, mitigate and prevent crime.”
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 714-245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.