1 killed in shooting at Brea apartment complex

A shooting at a Brea apartment complex left one person dead on Wednesday night, the Brea Police Department said.

Detailed information on the circumstances of the shooting, including the identity of the victim, was not immediately released. It was not known whether a suspect or suspects were in custody. Detectives were on scene investigating late Wednesday.

After receiving calls at about 7:29 p.m. about shots fired in the Raintree Apartment Homes complex, Brea police responded to what the department called a “major incident” at the complex and urged people to remain indoors, avoid the area and use alternate routes.

Police later said on social media: “Officers responded to multiple calls about shots being fired inside an apartment complex at 650 N. Tamarack Ave. Responding officers located a shooting victim who was deceased. There does not appear to be a danger to area residents, and an investigation is ongoing.”

 

During their initial response to the shooting, officers were armed with assault rifles and at least one K-9 team participated. Brea Fire Department medical units responded along with police.

Wednesday evening, a law enforcement helicopter was hovering over the gated complex west of the 57 Freeway and north of Lambert Road. Outside agencies were assisting Brea police.

Witness Blayke Maynes told news service OC Hawk that when he arrived at the scene, Brea fire units had staged and officers had their guns drawn.

“They had their K-9 out. They were preparing to enter the building and started giving commands to the suspect to come out” of an apartment, Maynes said.

Witnesses heard as many as nine shots, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Aerial footage from KTLA showed officers with guns drawn and escorting paramedics into an apartment. Soon after, an injured man was taken out on a gurney. It was unclear if that person’s injuries had anything to do with the shooting, KTLA reported.

Some nearby residents said violence in the area is not common.

Ralph Love, 48, who moved to Brea from San Bernardino in 2018, said the neighborhood has always been a quiet and calm area.

“I’ve lived here for seven years, this is the first major incident I’ve seen,” said Bryan Heieck, 50, who lives across the street from the apartment where the shooting happened. “It was two different bursts. I was watching a war movie and thought it was from the movie.”

Heieck said he moved to Brea from Whittier to get away from such violence.

Staff writers Hunter Lee and Emily Holshouser contributed to this story.

 

 

Source: Orange County Register