Santa Ana Lists Record of 4 Unrelated Homicides Over Weekend

A Garden Grove man was shot to death late Sunday at the home of a friend in Santa Ana, bringing to four the number of weekend homicides in the city--the most ever for a two-day period, city officials said Monday.

Police said Ismael T. Quintero, 30, was shot twice with a .45-caliber pistol about 11 p.m. They said he had been involved in an altercation with the person suspected of the shooting. Officers declined to identify the suspect, saying investigators were still on the scene Monday collecting evidence.

Capt. Robert Stebbins, investigative commander at the Santa Ana Police Department, said the four homicides were unrelated.

“We had a very unusual weekend,” he said, “and one that I would not expect to see repeated . . . .”

Stebbins said he read about two of the crimes in the newspaper Sunday and was shocked to find two more homicide reports on his desk when he returned to duty Monday. “In my 27-year career . . . I don’t recall ever having a weekend like this,” he said.

Heat Soars

Lt. Earl Porter, acting as station commander Monday, added, “I don’t know whether it’s the heat or the full moon or what. It’s probably a little bit of both,” he said.

Stebbins said he doesn’t put much credence in the full-moon hypothesis, but said the heat was definitely a theory to be reckoned with. Temperatures soared to record heights over the weekend and continued into Monday with a high of 110 in Santa Ana.

“It’s not uncommon for crimes of violence to be up considerably during periods of extremely hot weather. Our tempers tend to flare when we become miserable,” he said. “And when it’s hot, there’s more drinking of all kinds of beverages--including alcohol.”

Stebbins, however, said the total number of homicides is not out of line with yearly averages. Santa Ana had 15 homicides after a six-month period last year, and this year the six-month total stands at 19.