An Anaheim man was put behind bars Friday on suspicion of fatally shooting a 14-year-old gang member earlier this month during a bloody dispute between two Anaheim street gangs, police said.
Officers arrested Christian Jimenez, 20, of Anaheim at about 3 a.m. Thursday on suspicion of the Oct. 16 slaying of Jose Perez of Anaheim in an alley behind the 800 block of South Claudina Street, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.
The killing was believed to have stemmed from a non-fatal stabbing that occurred earlier in the day about a mile north.
Perez was a documented gang member, Dunn said. A fellow member of his gang was stabbed and wounded in the hours before the shooting in the area of Anaheim Boulevard and Sycamore Street.
Though Jimenez was not a documented gang member, police described him as an affiliate of the gang that carried out the stabbing. The neighborhood where Perez was fatally shot is claimed as the territory of that gang.
“We believe the 14-year-old, as well as others, were in the rival neighborhood for retaliation,” Dunn said.
Police responded to 911 calls reporting gunfire in the Claudina Street alley about 7 p.m. before finding Perez mortally wounded nearby.
A handgun, which Perez was believed to have been carrying, was found next to his body, Dunn said. Details regarding whether or not the weapon had been fired was not available.
County booking records for Jimenez had not yet been updated with his initial court appearance and bail amount, however, by state law, criminal defendants being held in police custody are generally brought to court for arraignment within two court days of arrest.
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