Police have identified the suspect in the mass shooting that left four people dead–including a 9-year-old boy who died in his mother’s arms– Wednesday at an office complex in Orange, California, according to officials.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. when officers from Orange Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue.
Responding officers found the front and back gates locked and secured from the inside, which meant police could not get to the area where the shooting was happening, Orange District Attorney Todd Spitzer said during a Thursday press conference. Bolt cutters were brought to the scene to allow police access to the scene, he added.
Responding officers were shot at and “located multiple victims at the scene including fatalities,” Orange Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. The department said an officer involved shooting occurred but did not specify what that meant.
An armored vehicle and fire truck parked near the scene of a fatal shooting on Orange, near Lincoln and Glassell. On scene with @TheChalkOutline and @joshpcain reporting for @ocregister pic.twitter.com/wLxiIqULOS
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) April 1, 2021
Orange Police Lt. Jennifer Amat confirmed in a press conference Wednesday night there were four fatalities, including a child.
Spitzer said the victims all knew each other and identified the suspect as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez.
“It appears that a little boy died in his mother’s arms as she was trying to save him during this horrific massacre,” Spitzer told reporters, noting the woman holding the child was injured.
There was an additional victim who was taken to the hospital and remains in critical condition, Spitzer told reporters. The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Amat said. (RELATED: Several Shot Outside Philadelphia Sports Bar)
Two women and a man were found inside the office complex, according to authorities.
Spitzer said Gonzalez is eligible for the death penalty.
“He will suffer and face the consequences,” Spitzer said.
A man who lives in a nearby apartment told KTLA he and his wife were on their way to get dinner when officers told them there was an active shooter.
“It’s terrifying” he said, noting he heard “seven to 10 gunshots within a couple seconds” before he saw a woman dead on the ground.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the incident “horrifying and heartbreaking,” in a tweet.
Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight. https://t.co/nw3On2RJH2
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 1, 2021
California representative Rob Bonta said “gun violence is America’s disease,” in a tweet.
The U.S. has seen a string of mass shootings in March, with a shooting in Boulder, Colorado leaving 10 dead, and a shooting at three Atlanta massage parlors leaving 8 dead.