2 at Party Shot, 1 Fatally
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FULLERTON — One man was killed and another was wounded Sunday when a drinking party turned hostile and one of the party-goers grabbed a gun, police said.
Joaquin Gomez, 40, of Fullerton, died after being shot in the face, and Alfredo Palacios, 28, was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the upper back, Police Lt. Ken Kepner said.
Thomas Martinez Penaloza, 35, of Fullerton was arrested at the scene while trying to flee, police said.
About 15 to 20 people had gathered in the courtyard of the apartment complex at 407 W. Valencia Drive in Fullerton to drink and socialize when a fight broke out about 11:45 a.m., Kepner said.
Penaloza went to his car to get a .45-caliber handgun, then returned and shot Gomez and Palacios as the fight moved into the alley next to the building, Kepner said.
Palacios, whose address was not immediately known, was reported in stable condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, Kepner said.
Penaloza was arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.
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