68-year-old New Zealand tourist robbed and killed outside Newport Beach shopping center, police said

Three men are said to have robbed and killed a 68-year-old tourist outside a shopping center in Newport Beach. The victim and the suspects were identified by police on Wednesday.

Patricia McKay, who was visiting from New Zealand, was walking with another person outside the Fashion Island shopping center near Santa Rosa Drive and Newport Center Drive shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday when they were allegedly approached by two men who attempted to rob them – one of the suspects was armed with a handgun, according to Newport Beach police.

A third suspect, driving a white sedan, struck and killed McKay during the robbery, police said, while one of the men fired three times. No one was hit by the gunfire.

McKay was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her body was found in the parking lot directly in front of the bookstore Barnes and Noble.

The three men suspected of the robbery fled the scene and led officers on a chase that led onto the 405 Freeway northbound, police said. The car stopped in Cypress, where one of the suspects got out, and then continued toward Los Angeles County, police said.

The other two men who were still in the car eventually left the car in Los Angeles County and fled on foot, police said.

All three men were arrested. On Wednesday, police identified them as Joseph McCrary Leroyernest, 26, of Compton; Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster; and Edward Darnell Malachi, 18, of Los Angeles.

“I am appalled. I mourn the loss of a person who died in our city as a result of a crime,” said Will O’Neill, mayor of Newport Beach. “This is a tragedy and I am angry.”

On Tuesday, authorities said the suspects allegedly robbed the woman before jumping into the car and running her over, but on Wednesday they released new details that offer a different account of the crime.

The victim was initially described as 69 years old, but police identified her on Wednesday as a 68-year-old woman.