Suspect surrenders in Costa Mesa shooting that killed 1, injured 4 on Thanksgiving

A man turned himself in to police Friday in connection with a Costa Mesa shooting that left one person dead and four others hurt the day before, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at 6:50 p.m. in the 400 block of Bay Street, Costa Mesa police said. Surveillance footage recorded before officers arrived and posted on social media showed two vehicles stopping in the street, followed by an exchange of words and the sound of shots fired.

A man who was in a nearby business at the time heard the shooting as it happened. He asked the Daily Pilot not to publish his name out of concern for his safety.

“There were two bangs, and I thought those were fireworks at first,” he said during a brief interview Friday morning. “But then I heard this rapid pop, pop, pop, pop, and that’s when I realized those were gunshots. I ducked under my desk because I was afraid they might have been shooting in my direction.”

Afterward, he went outside and saw a man who may have been the gunman get back into one of the vehicles. The witness described that person’s demeanor as “nonchalant” and said he sat in the driver’s seat for at least a minute before calmly driving away.

The witness also saw several people lying injured in the street. Paramedics loaded five people into stretchers and took them to hospitals, including two who appeared to be in “agonizing pain with blood all over them.”

One of the victims died, and another remained in critical condition Friday. The remaining three were expected to recover from their injuries, Costa Mesa Police Department spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said.

The homicide victim was identified as Lucas Rivera-Velasco, 30, of Costa Mesa.

Police identified the suspect who surrendered to officers early Friday morning as Lee Walker, 41, of Santa Ana. He remained in custody, police said.

Police described the shooting as an isolated incident. It was not gang-related, Fyad said.

The shooting was believed to have stemmed from a minor traffic collision, the Costa Mesa Police Department said in a tweet Friday evening.

Further information about the shooting was not immediately released.