Aiden Leos case: Mother of 6-year-old killed in 2021 OC road rage shooting speaks out after boy's father files lawsuit
A mother whose 6-year-old son died in a 2021 road rage shooting on the 55 Freeway in Orange County is speaking out after she was sued by the boy's father.
The civil lawsuit by Joey Leos against Joanna Cloonan was filed in Orange County Superior Court.
It also names the shooter, Marcus Anthony Eriz, who is serving a prison sentence of 40 years to life for the shooting of Aiden Leos.
"It is the most horrible pain I could ever imagine upon a mother," Cloonan told Eyewitness News.
The incident happened in May 2021. Aiden was sitting in a booster seat and was struck by gunfire when Eriz fired at his mother's car.
The boy's father alleges in the 13-page complaint that Cloonan's aggressive driving provoked the deadly shooting.
"I'm disgusted," said Cloonan. "I'm offended. None of that is truth."
Neither Joey Leos nor his attorney responded to ABC7's requests for comment.
Eriz's girlfriend, Wynne Lee, who was a passenger in his car at time, and Cloonan's mother are also named in the suit. Cloonan's mother set up the GoFundMe after the boy's death.
"He's revictimized me ... fully, and I've had to relive all that pain over again," said Cloonan. "I just want to be left alone."
Cloonan's attorney Mike Caspino called it "the most abusive case" he's ever seen of "trying to kick someone while they're down."
Caspino said the lawsuit is unprecedented.
"This is a reprehensible case, and I expect it to be thrown out at the very earliest opportunity," he said.
Cloonan said every day is still a struggle, even years later. She said she just wants to get back to healing.
"It's been hard to leave the house with all the anxiety and pain," she said. "Hard to get up, hard to brush your teeth, but I still fight because I say this story doesn't end here, and I'm not going to let evil win, because this is pure evil."
As it stands, the civil case is set for trial at the end of March.
