Credit: Inside the MagicOn the night of December 8, 2024, a man was shot to death in a neighborhood in Anaheim, California, not far from Disneyland Resort. Authorities received reports of gunshots fired in the 2000 block of Margie Lane around 8:42 p.m., prompting an immediate police response to the area.
Officers arrived on the scene to find a man who had sustained at least one gunshot wound while positioned in a vehicle that was parallel parked.
The victim was identified as 25-year-old Kenneth Wayne Swets, a resident of Anaheim.
As of now, the investigation remains active and ongoing. Detectives are meticulously working to piece together details surrounding the event, collecting information and any potential leads that may elucidate the circumstances leading to Kenneth Wayne Swets’s death.
At this stage, no specific suspects have been identified. There is no known motive.
TikToker @t.vmoments shared this KTLA 5 news clip about the murder, which features footage of investigators combing the crime scene on Sunday evening.
@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🙆🏻♂️📺
A neighbor confirmed that Swets lived in the neighborhood where he was killed.
“I live right next door to where it happened, and my room is right next to the backyard,” Kathryn Kelly said. “I heard [gunshots], and my other daughter got up and said, ‘That’s a gunshot.’ My dog ran into the backyard, and I’m thinking my dog’s going to get shot, and then I didn’t hear anything else until my son came and said, ‘Mom, there’s crime tape next door.'”
Kelly described Swets as a “good kid who went to the gym” with no known enemies: “Super good young man…very sweet, wonderful family.”
Some locals took the incident as an opportunity to call out the not-so-magical aspects of living steps from Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney.
“That’s why I moved out of Anaheim because even though it’s by Disneyland it’s getting horrible over there,” said @janetus21. “…I lived close to Disneyland. 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.”
Inside the Magic sends condolences to the victim’s loved ones. Anyone with information about the murder is encouraged to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.