Depressed over the death of his grandmother and upset over being kicked out of his family's home in southern California, Marcos Gurrola allegedly shot off 50 rounds from his pistol in the parking lot of a crowded Newport Beach mall on Saturday, police told NBC4.
Gurrola said he didn’t intend to shoot anyone and that he fires guns to relieve stress, police said Monday. When he stopped firing, he put the safety back on the gun, police said.
A man answering the door of the home in Garden Grove refused to shed any light on the alleged gunman’s actions.
There were no injuries but there was panic as people ran from the bullets at the crowded mall on Saturday afternoon.
Gurrola was arrested next to his car, a white Honda Civic. He even warned police about a wire protruding from the car so they wouldn’t receive a shock, said Lt. Mike Peters of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
“All I understand is he was stating there was ammunition in the car,” Peters said. “There were areas in the car that he was mentioning that were reasons to be careful in entering the car.”
The sheriff’s department bomb squad took X-rays of the car and found more ammunition but no tripwires or explosives, officials said.
Shoppers at the upscale outdoor mall, Fashion Island, were questioning why anyone would take a chance with a gun and the emotions of a fragile community a day after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.
Pretty much the craziest thing I’ve ever heard how anybody could do that to scare people with everything going on in the world,” said shopper David Lenz. “Who needs guys like that?”