Gang Member Sentenced To Life For Anaheim Area Shootings

ORANGE COUNTY, CA -- A gang member was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for gunning down one man and nearly killing another man for confronting him about graffiti vandalism in an unincorporated area near Anaheim.

David Steven Ortega, 36, of Chino, was convicted last month of first-degree murder for the benefit of a gang and attempted murder. During his June 14 sentencing, Orange County Superior Court Richard King tacked on an additional 57 years to life in prison for Ortega to run consecutive to the life without parole sentence.

Ortega killed 51-year-old David Bruce Douglas and wounded John Anderson, then 39, on July 19, 2015, at Poona Drive and Lullaby Lane.

Douglas and Anderson, who lived nearby, were chatting in Douglas' driveway about 9:45 p.m. after returning from a camping trip when they saw two men spray-painting gang graffiti on property on the block, Deputy District Attorney Chris Alex said.

When the two, along with another neighbor, asked the vandals what they were doing, the two men walked away, Alex said. Douglas and Anderson followed them, with Douglas at some point getting his SUV, Alex said.

Douglas rolled up in his SUV and Anderson jumped in as the masked suspect produced a gun and approached the vehicle, Alex said. Another man blocked the path of the SUV while Ortega opened fire.

Anderson was shot three times, including in the head, Alex said, and Douglas sustained a gunshot wound through the throat.

Also on Friday, King denied a motion for a new trial filed on behalf of co-defendant Edgar Ramirez, 24, who is scheduled to return to court Sept. 6 for a retrial hearing. Jurors last month could not reach verdicts in the case against Ramirez.

Ramirez is accused of running to get help from fellow gang members around the corner before shots rang out, Alex said in his opening statement of the pair's trial.

Investigators linked Ortega and Ramirez to the shooting through the freshly painted graffiti, which Alex said included their gang nicknames: Termite and Bounce, along with surveillance video from residences in the area, a tattoo on Ortega's arm, witness observations of men running to and from the crime scene and phone records.

Investigators suspect Ramirez ran to a gathering around the corner and two other men returned to the conflict, where Ortega opened fire on the victims, Alex said.

City News Service contributed to this report.