9-Year-Old Boy Died in His Wounded Mother's Arms during Orange Mass Shooting

The mother was cradling her son in an effort to protect him from the ongoing gunfire that was surrounding them. Both the mother and the nine-year-old were shot.

The Orange Police Department released a statement on its Facebook page detailing the mass shooting that occurred in the City of Orange on March 31, 2021. Four people were killed in the incident.

One of the four victims that were fatally injured and lost their lives was a nine-year-old boy who passed away in his mother's arms. The young woman had wrapped her arms around her son in an attempt to protect him from the shooter.

TRAGIC LOSS

The authorities reported that they discovered the young boy's body in the arms of his mother upon entering the scene of the mass shooting in the vicinity of 200 West Lincoln in Orange. The district attorney, Todd Spitzer, shared:

"One of the women victims was embracing that child, apparently after he was shot, and that's how they were found. "

When the officers discovered the mother and son, they immediately transported the woman to the hospital to receive emergency medical attention. She was listed as critical but stable.

THREE OTHER VICTIMS

The shooter took the lives of three other people alongside that of the nine-year-old boy. Two women and a man were found deceased, all scattered around different areas of the premises.

This tragedy follows the killing of 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22, and the murder of eight people in spas in Atlanta.

Two of the victims were found in a separate office building while the third body was on the upstairs outside landing area. The building where the shooting took place has been identified as the Unified Homes business.

SUSPECT ARRESTED

44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez was identified as the suspect of this mass shooting. He was taken into custody when officers managed to gain entry to the scene of the incident and found that he was seriously injured.

The authorities believe that Gonzalez's act of violence was by no means random but was motivated by the relationship that he had with the victims of the shooting. Orange Police Department spokesperson Lt. Jennifer Amat said:

"The preliminary motive is believed to be related to a business and personal relationship which existed between the suspect and all of the victims."

INVESTIGATING THE SCENE

Law enforcement investigated the scene after the ordeal was over and came across on firearm that is believed to be the gun used by the suspect to carry out the mass shooting.

The police spokesperson also revealed that they know Gonzalez traveled to the business complex using a rental car and parked it nearby. Before the incident, the suspect was living in a motel in Anaheim.

The Orange City mass shooting is the third one in the USA in a matter of two weeks. This tragedy follows the killing of 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22, and the murder of eight people in spas in Atlanta.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom took to social media to share his condolences with the family and friends of the victims lost during the horrific shooting, sharing how terrible the incident was.