Police kill armed man at Catholic church in Santa Ana

An armed man was fatally shot Sunday afternoon by Santa Ana police at a Catholic church, a police spokesman said.

It happened at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church at 1100 S. Center St.

Santa Ana officers were flagged down about 4:20 p.m. and told someone inside the church near McFadden Avenue had a gun, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

Officers went inside the church and found a man with a gun. At some point, an officer-involved shooting occurred, Bertagna said.

The suspect then ran outside with the weapon and ultimately collapsed on Center Street just south of McFadden Avenue, where he was pronounced deceased, Bertagna said.

The weapon was still in his hand, he said.

Officers were told by people inside the church, who had arrived for a 5 p.m. service, that another person may have been with the suspect. Officers searched the church and a nearby school, but by early Sunday evening had not yet found another suspect, Bertagna said.

It wasn’t known how many shots were fired or how many officers fired at the suspect. It also wasn’t yet known if the suspect fired at officers.

The suspect’s name was withheld pending notification of family.

A Vote Center in the church was evacuated because of the incident, according to Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley.

Shooting occurred near our Vote Center at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Santa Ana. An active criminal investigation is taking place. @SantaAnaPD is asking the public to stay away from the area. Vote Center staff and voters evacuated and are safe. 1/2

— OC Registrar (@OCRegistrar) March 2, 2020

“Vote Center staff and voters have been evacuated and are safe,” the Registrar’s office said in a statement.

Maria Roque, 39 of Santa Ana, was one of a handful of community members who walked to the church for Sunday evening mass only to see it surrounded by yellow police tape with a large number of police vehicles nearby.

She, like the others, was surprised to find out a shooting had taken place. She said friends were serving in the library inside the church when the shooting occurred, but they were all safe.

“It’s scary to think we’re not even safe here,” Roque said. “I’ve been coming here since I was 16 years old.”

This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.