2 dead, 3 injured in shootings at 7-Eleven stores in O.C., Riverside

Two people were killed and three injured in a string of shootings at Southern California 7-Eleven stores early Monday — at least three of which police say were likely carried out by the same suspect.

Police responded to the first shooting early Monday morning at a 7-Eleven in Riverside, which left a customer seriously injured. Less than two hours later, one person was killed in a shooting at a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana.

Authorities believe the suspect in Santa Ana is the same person who hit 7-Elevens in La Habra and Brea hours later, the Associated Press reported.

That suspect — who has not yet been identified or detained — is accused of robbing two 7-Elevens in La Habra and Brea, then opening fire at the stores, said Brea Police Capt. Phil Rodriguez.

The shooting in Brea killed one man, who has not been identified. The shooting in La Habra wounded two people who have been taken to a hospital, Rodriguez said.

He asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect, sharing a photo of a person wearing a mask and hood.

Monday marked the last day of the convenience store chain's "Free Slurpee Day," celebrated from July 1 to July 11, which has the same digits as 7-Eleven.

Just before 2 a.m. Monday, Riverside officers responded to a robbery at the 7-Eleven on La Sierra Avenue, where officers found a customer shot, said department spokesperson Ryan Railsback. He said investigators determined the suspect, who was not identified, entered the store, pulled out a firearm and robbed the clerk, then shot a customer before running from the store.

Railsback said the customer, who was not identified, is now at an area hospital in "grave" condition.

Less than two hours later, Santa Ana police officers responded to a shooting at the 7-Eleven on East 17th Street, finding one person fatally shot at the store, according to Santa Ana Police Sgt. Maria Lopez.

Just after 4 a.m., Brea police officers were called to a robbery and shooting at the 7-Eleven on West Lambert Road, where a man was found shot dead, Rodriguez said. He called it a "robbery that turned into a homicide."

Then, about 30 minutes later and four miles from the Brea convenience store, La Habra police officers responded to a shooting at a 7-Eleven on East Whittier Boulevard, a spokesperson for the department said. Two people were found with gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Rodriguez said agencies across the region are working together to see if the shootings are connected.

A pair of 7-Eleven stores in Ontario and Upland were also robbed on Monday, but no shots were fired and no one was injured during either incident, according to KCBS-TV Channel 2. Authorities did not yet know whether the incidents in Upland and Ontario were connected to the convenience store shootings and robberies across the Southland.

Times staff writer Gregory Yee and City News Service contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.