1 injured in drive-by

COSTA MESA — Police are looking for five men involved in a drive-by shooting that wounded one man Thursday night just a half a mile east of a deadly shooting earlier this month.

The five men cruised along an alley in a dark silver or gray Honda Civic four-door with tinted windows when the shooter in the car opened fire at 2999 Mendoza Drive on two men at about 6:43 p.m., Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Bryan Glass said.

“I think it’s a safe bet it’s gang-related,” Costa Mesa Police Lt. Loren Wyrick said.

The shooting happened near Baker Street. On Aug. 2, Israel Maciel, 23, was shot and killed, and four other men were wounded in a drive-by shooting in an alley off the 1300 block of West Baker Street.

The man who was shot was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana with two gunshot wounds that were not considered life-threatening, Glass said. He was not identified, but police said he was in his late teens. Another man was possibly grazed by a bullet but declined treatment at the scene, Wyrick said.

Gang investigators worked the scene Thursday night as neighbors milled around, some discussing how the neighborhood has grown more dangerous in recent weeks.

The neighbors, who did not want to be identified because they were nervous about retaliation, said they have noticed gang graffiti marked in the dust on their cars over the past week.

Police are searching for five men between 18 and 20 years old, with shaved heads and wearing white T-shirts, Wyrick and Glass said.

The shooting was the fifth in Costa Mesa this year.

“We’re not making any connections,” with the Aug. 2 shooting death of Maciel, Wyrick said.

On June 10, a man was found shot to death in an alley off Center Street in Costa Mesa. A man was arrested this month in connection with that killing.

Three men and a juvenile were arrested in May in connection with the April 24 shooting death of Julio Cesar Guerrero-Elias, 20. Police said that shooting was gang-related.

And a 21-year-old man was shot in the back in February as he was running from a fight at a house party. Police suspect a Costa Mesa man was responsible for that shooting.

Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley said Thursday night that a community meeting is planned at Sonora Elementary School at 7 p.m. Wednesday. At the meeting, police will give an update on recent violence in the city and talk about how people can protect themselves, Foley said. The school is at 966 Sonora Road in Costa Mesa.

— Alicia Robinson contributed to this story.