A New Zealand woman who was killed in front of her horrified husband at an upscale California mall by a group of robbers has been pictured for the first time.
Patricia ‘Trish’ McKay, 68, and her husband Doug were at the Fashion Island Mall, in Newport Beach, when they were approached by two men on Tuesday.
A struggle ensued, with one of the men fleeing the scene on foot and firing several rounds with a handgun as he did so, according to reports.
McKay was then dragged into the parking lot as the two men got into a car being driven by a third.
As the suspects made their escape, they ran over McKay and continued firing shots as they led police on a high-speed chase.
Patricia ‘Trish’ McKay, 68, and her husband Doug, seen here, were at the Fashion Island Mall, in Newport Beach, when they were approached by two men on Tuesday
A struggle ensued, with one of the men fleeing the scene on foot and firing several rounds with a handgun as he did so, according to reports. The mall is seen here
The McKay family said in a statement that: ‘No words can express our sadness as we try to come to terms with the loss of our mother, wife, and friend Patricia.
‘We ask for privacy at this time as we work through this as a family.’
McKay and her husband had lived in Auckland, with her neighbors telling the New Zealand Herald they had been shocked by her passing.
One person told the outlet that McKay had only just began to enjoy life as a grandmother, which she ‘loved’.
‘We are all in shock. She was a lovely, lovely woman’, the neighbor added, while another said it was ‘so tragic’.
While the Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon posted on social media saying: ‘My thoughts are with the McKay family after the devestating loss of Trish.
‘They’re great people and my heart goes out to Doug, their family and all those who knew Trish.’
While Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson added: ‘I am beyond devastated. Trish was amazing- funny, loyal, and loving.
‘My absolute deepest sympathies to Doug and her family. In absolute shock.’
Cops followed the suspects after the violent attack Los Angeles County after a pair of suspects jumped out near Los Alamitos.
As the suspects made their escape, they ran over McKay and continued firing shots as they led police on a high-speed chase. One of them is seen being apprehended here
All three were booked on suspicion of homicide, robbery with a firearm and conspiracy
The suspects’ car reached speeds of 110mph in the chase on the 105 freeway. Two jumped out of the car and began running around a neighborhood in South Gate.
Police found one of the men hiding behind trash cans outside a house and arrested him.
They also tracked down and arrested two other suspects in the fatal attack.
Newport Beach Police officials identified the suspects as Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster, Malachi Edward Darnell, 18, of Los Angeles, and Leroyernest Joseph McCrary, 26, of Compton.
All three were booked on suspicion of homicide, robbery with a firearm and conspiracy.
According to the LA Times, McCrary has a history of crimes in LA County and was arrested in October 2022 with being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm.
He pleaded no contest to the felony charge the year after and was charged in a robbery case in September 2023 and again pleaded no contest.
DA George Gascón, seen here, is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation
For that, he received a concurrent sentence for both convictions and got two years of probation and three years in state prison, with the sentence being suspended.
The LA County DA George Gascón is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting ‘tough on crime’ policies as racist and a failure.
Mayor Will O’Neill said he was ‘furious’ after hearing news of the attack, which he described as ‘staggering’.
‘I’m horrified. I’m mourning the loss of someone who died inside of our city because of crime. This is a tragedy and I’m furious.
‘Newport Beach is a safe community and we’re mourning the loss of someone,’ he said.
‘Frankly, to hell with these guys. … These are thugs. Every community is now dealing with this. We have to do better as a society. We cannot tolerate this.’