Slaying alarms some neighbors

Some concerned neighbors are still trying to get their heads around what happened Saturday morning when a 38-year-old man was shot and killed.

Costa Mesa resident Alberto Norberto Hernandez Roxon was gunned down at 5:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Center Street, according to Costa Mesa Police. Investigators are looking for suspects.

Zonia Zuniga, who has lived near the crime scene for over eight years, heard a man yell something in Spanish, followed by two gunshots.

“My kids were asking, ‘Mom, what happened?’” she said. “I couldn’t lie to them.”

Authorities did not release many details about the shooting, but they did say they do not believe it was gang-related.

“I’ve been here 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Adelaide Garulle, who is the manager of the building near where the shooting occurred.

Garulle could not recall seeing Roxon in the neighborhood, and said she thought he must be new to the area.

Zuniga and Garulle said a man claiming to be Roxon’s brother-in-law arrived at the scene after police, but neither woman recognized him.

This marks the third deadly shooting in Costa Mesa this year, which evens the city up with last year’s number of homicides.

According to a preliminary crime report released last month by the Department of Justice, last year Costa Mesa had three homicides during 2005.

Mayor Allan Mansoor said the city is trying to revitalize its Westside neighborhoods through what he called overlay zones and more aggressive law enforcement.

“It’s disappointing, but I think any solution needs to focus on not only law enforcement, but revitalization of the Westside, and I think that’s key,” he said. “Certainly the overlay zones is part of it, but so is law enforcement. Changing the whole image of the Westside is crucial to attracting people who want to live in a quality place.”

Zuniga said she is concerned with questionable activity in her neighborhood, especially because she has children.

“[There are] Cars going at a high rate of speed, even fighting out back,” she said.

Mansoor said Costa Mesa is working hard to reduce crime.

“Certainly we’re going to do everything we can to keep things like this from happening, but we also encourage members of the public to participate in the investigation and provide any information they may have,” he said.

Police encourage anyone with information about the shooting to call (714) 754-5356.