22-year-old man suspected in fatal October shooting in Santa Ana arrested

A 22-year-old man was arrested last week on suspicion of fatally shooting another man in an attempted robbery in Santa Ana in October, authorities said.

Adrian Ayala was taken into custody on Dec. 6 on suspicion of killing of 26-year-old Santa Ana resident Gonzalo Carlos, according to a statement Monday from the Santa Ana Police Department. Carlos was found suffering from gunshot wounds after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed along the 2300 block of West 5th Street on Oct. 8.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Carlos was shot during an attempted robbery prior to crashing his car, said Officer Natalie Garcia. Details on the robbery were not available on Tuesday.

Ayala faces charges including murder with sentencing enhancements for the discharge of a firearm causing death and committing a secondary offense while out on bail, according to court records. Ayala bailed out Sept. 5 on charges of possessing a controlled substance while armed with a gun, carrying a loaded unregistered gun in public and carrying a concealed loaded unregistered gun, all felonies.

The motive for the shooting was still under investigation and was not believed by authorities to be gang-related, Garcia said.

Anyone with information on the shooting should contact the SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at 714-245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP OCCS.

City News Service contributed to this report.