Two people were killed and three injured in shootings at four 7-Eleven stores in Southern California on early Monday morning, authorities said.
A shooting occurred at a 7-Eleven store in Brea, a city in northern Orange County, at about 4:18 a.m. local time (1118 GMT), leaving a male dead, according to the Brea Police Department.
"Our preliminary investigation suggests that the clerk was killed during a robbery. We later learned that a similar incident took place at a 7-Eleven at La Habra," the department tweeted.
La Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County. The La Habra police department said in a press release that their officers responded at about 4:55 a.m. local time (1155 GMT) to a robbery at a 7-Eleven store.
"Officers arrived at the location and discovered two victims that were suffering from gunshot wounds," said the La Habra Police Department, adding that both victims were transported to a local hospital and are listed in stable condition.
The Santa Ana Police Department also said a man was fatally shot at 3:25 a.m. local time (1025 GMT) at a 7- Eleven store in the city, the seat of Orange County.
Based on surveillance photos of the suspect in the Brea and La Habra shootings, police said they believe it is the same suspect in Santa Ana, according to the City News Service, a regional wire service covering Southern California.
In addition, a customer was shot in Riverside County, a 40-minute drive from Orange County, at about 1:50 a.m. local time (0850 GMT) in what police described as an apparent robbery at a 7-Eleven store, reported the City News Service.
Police officers have not connected the fourth incident to the three shootings in Orange County.
Authorities said they will be alerting other 7-Eleven stores to take additional safety precautions, FOX 11 Los Angeles television station reported.
"Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones. We are gathering information on this terrible tragedy and working with local law enforcement," 7-Eleven, an American multinational chain of retail convenience stores, said in a statement.
