A teenager was arrested allegedly shot and killed a man in Huntington Beach on Friday night.
According to department spokesman Jessica Cuchilla, officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department responded to a report on the shootings at Florida Street and Utica Avenue around 8:40 p.m.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the victim, Jose Manuel Nares, who was identified as Huntington Beach by the Orange County coroner’s corpsor, and suffered gunshot wounds from a fire-thunder gun. The 29-year-old received medical assistance and was taken to a hospital where he died.
Kuchira said the suspect’s identity was detained because he was a teenager and he fled the scene but was “quickly located by the responding officials.” The weapon was also restored.
Kuchira said the teen was booked in Orange County Junior Hall.
Statistics about torch deaths are limited. But Lt. Brian Smith of the Huntington Beach Police Department said the torch gun fired projectiles that could cause damage or could be modified to fire other types of ammunition. In 2021, a 41-year-old man from Auburn, Washington, died after being shot by a modified torch gun, local news reports.
“According to the preliminary investigation, detectives believe this is an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the community,” Cushilla said of the Huntington Beach shooting.
Anyone with video surveillance or information related to shooting is encouraged to call the Huntington Beach Police Department at (714) 878-5640.
