YORBA LINDA, California - Two minutes after someone called 911 to report gunfire, 14-year-old, Ian Mercado called 911 and reported that his father had shot him and his brother at their condo complex in Yorba Linda, a bedroom community across the street from the Richard Nixon Library. When police responded to the residence, they found the mother, Maricel Cho, 39, on the doorstep, dead from gunshot wounds. Inside the home, they found the bodies of Nicole Cho, 9 and Kathleen Cho, 8 in a bedroom. They had been asleep in their beds when they were shot. The body of Christopher Cho, 5, was discovered in another bedroom. Also in this bedroom the body of Orland Cho, 41, was found…a shotgun beneath him. Authorities have not figured out a motive but believe the father was the gunman.
The surviving 14-year-old is in stable condition and is Marciel Cho’s son from a previous relationship. He was shot in the lower torso and is expected to survive. Police will not be able to interview him until Monday. The teen did give the police a statement at the scene, but it is being reported that it appeared he was unaware that his mother and siblings had also been shot.
I am sure there are some Myspace stuff out there for the teen, but who knows. No pictures available yet, so I’ll update as I get them.
Tags: Familicide, Ian Mercado, Murder-suicide, Orlando Cho, Shooting
Drink the Kool-Aid