The State : Stray Bullet Kills Woman

An elderly Buena Park woman was fatally wounded by a stray bullet that pierced the locked front door of her home in what police said was an exchange of gunfire among rival gang members. Authorities said they believe Cornelia Mitchell, 82, is the first clearly innocent victim of Orange County gang violence in recent memory. The target of the gunfire was Arrizon Clemente, 17, of Buena Park, a member of the Los Coyotes gang. As he fled past Mitchell’s home in the 7500 block of 9th Street, he was wounded in the arm by one of up to eight shots fired from a truck carrying rival Eastside gang members, police said. Mitchell was in her living room when she apparently was drawn to her front door by shouts from outside. She was felled by the bullet before she could unlock the door, police said. Lt. Tony Kelly said Clemente, who “was no stranger to us,” was treated at a hospital and released. He “cooperated with police,” Kelly said.