Detectives Continue To Seek Clues In Deadly Anaheim Freeway Shooting
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com) — Detectives Tuesday continued to seek clues in connection with a shooting on the 91 freeway Monday night that left one man dead.
Augustin Villegas, 32, who had been riding in the passenger seat of his cousin's white pickup was pronounced dead after a shooting occurred on the westbound 91 freeway shortly after 8 p.m. Monday. The shooting occurred between Tustin Avenue and Kraemer Boulevard.
The driver, a 42-year-old man, was reportedly also wounded in the shooting and was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center,where he is recovering. Villegas' 13-year-old son, and the driver's 14-year-old son, were both in the back seat of the vehicle.
The teens told police that suddenly, the windows of the truck shattered as they were driving.
"What we need right now is closure for this family," Anaheim Police Lt. Bob Dunn said. "Two boys witnessed the shooting of their fathers, one of them fatally."
The bullet that struck and killed the victim entered the vehicle through the passenger-side window.
"We don't know the mechanics of how that shooting occurred," Dunn said. "Whether or not the person or persons was standing on the shoulder, whether or not they were in another vehicle, there is no information to suggest that road rage was in any way involved in this type of incident."
The group was heading home to Anaheim after having worked on a car in Tustin. The two boys are cooperating with authorities to try to solve why the shootings may have occurred.
"At this point, our victim has no known criminal history, none of the people involved do," Dunn said. "Again, we're talking about two kids who were in the back seat of this car. So, at this point, we don't have anything to suggest that there's any criminal intent on the part of the victims to have been victimized in this way."
Villegas, a father of four, coached a soccer team for his kids, and his family remembers him as a completely positive, loving man.
"He never drank, he never smoked, I don't know anybody who would say anything bad about him," niece Daisy Soto said. "He was just so lovable. We are just calling on everybody to please let us know, if you saw anything, to please come forward."
The westbound lanes of the 91 freeway were closed through much of Monday night to give police an opportunity to seek clues. Authorities say a piece of evidence was recovered, but it was not confirmed what that piece of evidence was.
Police, meanwhile, continue to urge anyone with information on the shooting to contact the Anaheim Police Department.
"The case will likely be made off of the public's help in giving us information about what they saw or what they might have heard at 8 o'clock last night," Dunn said.
A fund has been set up by Villegas' family to help them cover the cost of the funeral service.
