Man accused of firing shots at Fashion Island mall pleads not guilty

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A man accused of firing more than 40 shots into the air outside of the Fashion Island shopping mall last month in Newport Beach pleaded not guilty Friday to 66 charges, according to a court official.

Marcos Gurrola, 42, of Garden Grove faces charges of shooting at an occupied building, aggravated assault and sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm in connection with a shooting outside of the Macy’s building about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 15.

The shooting took place one day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead.

In addition to charges tied to the December shooting, prosecutors said Gurrola faces 10 counts of negligent discharge of a firearm after he allegedly fired 10 shots at Fashion Island in November 2011.

Police connected him to the 2011 shooting while investigating the recent crime, prosecutors said.

As a Glock .40 semi-automatic handgun was fired at the shopping center in December, a mother and her 4-year-old daughter suffered minor injuries from panicked shoppers pushing them, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Gurrola’s next court date is scheduled for March 15 in a Newport Beach courtroom.

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