Authorities are expanding their investigation into the brazen killing of a Chino Hills man who was allegedly shot in front of deputies, prompting officers to respond with a barrage of gunfire.
In an Instagram story posted Thursday, the Irvine Police Department said the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was carrying out a search warrant in the area.
“The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department just served a warrant on Crossover, near Benchmark, related to a homicide that occurred earlier today in Chino Hills,” the department wrote. “Public safety resources will be at the home investigating.”
The location where the warrant was served is roughly 31 miles south of where the deadly incident unfolded.
Officials have not confirmed whether that search warrant is tied to the suspect seen shooting the victim Wednesday night.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect initially shot the victim before putting him into the trunk of a vehicle, then allegedly shot him again in front of deputies.
Sheriff’s public information officer Gloria Orejel said the victim had come out of his home on Montverde Drive when two kidnappers shot him and placed him in the trunk of their car.
Deputies were called around 10:15 p.m. after a witness reported hearing gunfire and someone yelling for help. Authorities later attempted to stop the suspects’ vehicle, but the driver failed to pull over, leading deputies on a brief pursuit before stopping in the 2400 block of Wandering Ridge Drive.
At that point, cops were completely unaware of the kidnapping.
Surveillance footage showed cops stop a car in a quiet Chino Hills neighborhood before a passenger got out and walked towards deputies with his hands up.
But the driver acted strangely, remaining in his seat before opening and closing his door before letting the vehicle slightly roll forward.
He then got out with his hands raised before changing his mind and going back into the car to retrieve something.
He was then seen going to the trunk and opening it. Not long after, smoke from deputies’ guns was seen as they opened fire on him, and the driver and his passenger fell to the ground.
Orejel says the passenger complied with commands while the driver did not, shooting the victim again.
“The passenger did comply,” Orejel said. “However, the driver exited the vehicle, approached the trunk of the suspect vehicle and fired a shot into a victim that was inside the trunk.”
The driver and victim were pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was not injured and is in police custody.
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