(DailyAnswer.org) – A suspect has been taken into custody by police following the fatal shooting of a UPS driver in Irvine, California on May 16.
The victim, who was shot inside his truck, was later identified as Expedito Cuesta De Leon, 50. Irvine police stated in a Facebook post that the shooting occurred at roughly 3 P.M. near Bendix and Chrysler in the city. According to Sergeant Karie Davies, the delivery driver was eating in his truck while on break when the suspect pulled up in a pickup truck wearing a face mask and began shooting.
Though the relationship between the two men was not initially known, Davies said that the shooting was not a robbery and appeared to be a targeted attack. At around 6 P.M. on the day of the shooting, authorities tracked down the truck of the suspected gunman close to Santiago Canyon Road and the Toll Road. According to Davies, the suspect was forced out of the car having barricaded himself inside when a SWAT team deployed a police dog and tear gas.
The suspect has been identified as Rhean Jalipa Fontanoza, 46. Fontanoza allegedly lay in wait before shooting from his vehicle, and has been charged with murder and a sentencing enhancement relating to firing a gun and causing death. The District Attorney’s office reported that Fontanoza was a coworker and childhood friend of De Leon and on work disability. The suspect is accused of shooting his colleague 14 times in just seconds.
The victim was reportedly hit 10 times by projectiles in the shooting as Fontanoza fired off 14 rounds. The suspect is accused of going to the UPS Aliso Viejo substation and using his phone to take a picture of driver routes displayed on a computer. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer highlighted the “depravity” of the suspect’s plot to execute his childhood friend who was unaware he was being stalked by a killer. The gunman’s motive is unknown and under investigation.
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