On Sunday night, authorities began investigating a fatal shooting in an Anaheim neighborhood just blocks from Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney District. Police are pleading with the public to provide any information that could help solve the case and bring justice to the victim’s family.
On the night of December 8, 2024, around 8:42 p.m., Anaheim Police officers responded to reports of gunshots in the 2000 block of Margie Lane. Upon arrival, they found a man, later identified as 25-year-old Kenneth Wayne Swets, with at least one gunshot wound inside a parked vehicle. Tragically, Swets was pronounced dead at the scene.
Currently, the investigation is ongoing, with no suspects identified and no known motive for the crime. Detectives are actively gathering evidence and seeking leads to determine the circumstances surrounding Swets’s death.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. Whether it’s details from the night of the incident or anything suspicious noticed in the area, investigators hope public cooperation will help solve the case.
Residents of the normally quiet neighborhood near Disneyland Resort are grappling with the tragedy.
“He’s always polite, a beautiful young man,” neighbor Kathryn Kelly told NBC 4. “I have no idea why.”
“It’s unbelievable,” Edgar Cardenas, Swets’ friend, said. “… It’s so unreal to me because I would never think that someone would want to do that to him – he didn’t deserve that. He was a really good person.”
TikTok user @t.vmoments shared a KTLA 5 news clip showing investigators combing the crime scene:
@t.vmoments Man shot & killed near Disneyland #california #losangeles #orangecounty #anaheim #anaheimcalifornia #shooting #crimejunkie #truecrime #disneyland #disneylandcalifornia #disneylandresort #waltdisneyworld #murder #murdermystery #fyp #fypシ #viral #viralvideo #tvmoments🙆🏻♂️📺
While the shooting appears to be an isolated incident, some locals have expressed concerns about safety in the Anaheim area, even near Disneyland Resort.
“That’s why I moved out of Anaheim,” @janetus21 commented on TikTok. “Even though it’s by Disneyland, it’s getting horrible over there… Me and my family witnessed a dead man with a blanket at a park in the floor and cops were standing there with yellow tape. It’s bad.”
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to notify Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
