Man found fatally shot near car abandoned off 5 Freeway in Irvine

Police responding to reports of a disabled vehicle on the 5 Freeway in Irvine found a gunshot victim apparently left to die outside of the vehicle on Sunday, June 7.

Officers were dispatched at about 7:30 a.m., to investigate a white Kia Optima that was stopped with its doors left open in the right shoulder of the southbound 5 near Culver Drive, California Highway Patrol Officer Tino Olivera said. Authorities located an injured man on the ground, next to the front right passenger door of the vehicle. Paramedics attempted to perform first aid and learned that he had been shot several times.

The victim was declared dead at the scene, Olivera said. He was described as a man in his mid 40s, but had not been positively identified as of 3 p.m. Sunday.

Preliminary investigation did not suggest that a car-to-car shooting or road rage incident had occurred, Olivera said. It was not immediately clear who owned the Optima. A detailed description of any possible suspect was not immediately available.

Authorities believe the shooting was an isolated incident, and do not suspect there is any lingering threat to nearby residents, Olivera said.