Who is Aminadab Gonzalez? California shooting suspect knew his 4 victims including boy, 9, who died in mom's arms
ORANGE, CALIFORNIA: Aminadab Galaxio Gonzalez was identified as the man who allegedly opened fire at a Southern California office building, killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy on Wednesday, March 31. Authorities have said that the suspect in the mass shooting at a business park in the city of Orange, knew all the victims either through a business or personal relationship.
Gonzalez was wounded after the shootout and remained hospitalized in stable but critical condition on Thursday, April 1. It was not clear whether he suffered a self-inflicted wound or was shot by police. According to the court records obtained from the Orange County Superior Court, Gonzalez has faced four misdemeanor charges of child abuse and endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon other than a gun, dissuading a witness, and battery for an incident that occurred on March 31, 2015.
READ MORE
Brigadoon Park shooting: 3 shot by unidentified gunman in San Jose, suspect still at large
Who is Aminadab Galaxio Gonzalez?
The 44-year-old suspect is from Fullerton. Orange police Lt Jennifer Amat said that the man had been staying at a motel in Anaheim and arrived at the scene in a rental car. The police received five 911 calls reporting gunshots and police were on the scene within 2 minutes, the lieutenant said. Gunfire could be heard as officers came and the suspect fired at them, Amat said. Two officers fired back from behind the wall until the "bicycle-type cable" locks that the suspect had placed on the gates from the inside were removed with bolt cutters. Gonzalez locked office gates before carrying out the crime.
“They were all known to each other,” county District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters about the victims. Gonzalez allegedly had “issues” with his co-workers at the location, a mobile home real estate office suite, Spitzer said. “He will suffer and face the consequences,” he added of Gonzalez, calling the “horrific rampage” death penalty-eligible. When officers arrived on the scene, they found multiple victims. Along with the four who lost their lives, a fifth victim was injured during the shooting and transported to a hospital in critical condition. "It appears a little boy died in his mother's arms as she was trying to save him during this horrific massacre," Spitzer said.
“Our hearts today go out to the victims. We pray for one of the victims who is still in the hospital who underwent emergency procedures,” he added, an apparent reference to the boy’s mother. The victims, whose identities have not been released, all shared personal and business connections to Gonzalez, officials said. The child is the son of one of the employees of Unified Homes.
Police added that the shooting, which was first reported around 5.25 pm on Wednesday, March 31, at 202 West Lincoln Ave., was not a "random act of violence" and believe it was an isolated incident. Police recovered a semi-automatic gun and a backpack with pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition. The authorities released a photo taken from a surveillance video that investigators said showed the armed and masked gunman during the shooting rampage. He is seen carrying an apparent firearm and backpack in the image.
Witness Moe Reyes says he saw five officers run toward the scene and heard gunshots before he started recording what was happening, including paramedics loading someone into an ambulance. Witnesses reported hearing two distinct sets of shots - one apparently the initial shooting and one the gunfire exchange involving police.
This is the deadliest shooting in Orange since 1997, according to police, when a 43-year-old former Caltrans worker shot and killed four of his former coworkers. This latest incident has led to more talk on gun control as it follows the deadly shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and the Atlanta massage parlors.