ANAHEIM – A man who was shot and killed by police after they say he fired at them and a pursuing dog had tried to outrun cops before, and court records show he had used violence to try to get away.

Robert Moreno Jr., 21, died Thursday in an alley in the 1100 block of Mayfair Avenue after he was shot by at least one police officer, officials said. Police and court records describe him as a known gang member.

Moreno shot at police officers who were chasing him, and struck a police dog running in front of the officers, said Lt. Tim Schmidt of the Anaheim Police Department. Moreno was being pursued after he fired shots and ran from an Orange County probation officer, police said.

The injured dog, a 7-year-old German shepherd named Bruno, was taken to Yorba Linda Regional Animal Hospital for surgery after the bullet lodged in his chest, Schmidt said. The dog was expected to survive.

According to friends and court records, Moreno had recently returned to the area after serving time in state prison. Records show he had tried to evade police before.

After he was tackled during an arrest in 2011, he told a deputy in county jail that he struggled with the officer to get away, and had “even tried to reach for his gun.” When the deputy asked why he tried to grab the gun, Moreno said, “Because if I did get the gun I would have killed him,” according to court records.

Police have declined to say how many officers fired at Moreno on Thursday. But his uncle, Max Figueroa, said his nephew was shot at about 15 times, which he called excessive force. The investigation closed off the area for several hours, and Figueroa said his nephew’s body was left untouched on the ground. “They had my nephew’s body until 10 o’clock at night,” said the 30-year-old Santa Ana resident.

Figueroa said his nephew’s criminal history didn’t show his kindness to other people or the many people who are now grieving for him. He couldn’t understand how people could be more concerned about the injured police dog than about his nephew’s life.

“There’s no record for good,” he said.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

Moreno’s criminal record in adult court began three months after he turned 18, when he was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of failing to register as a criminal gang member, according to court records. He was sentenced to 30 days in county jail and three years’ probation.

Two months later, in January 2011, he was back in court facing multiple felony charges, including vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, evading a police officer and resisting arrest, as well as multiple gang sentencing enhancements.

According to court records, Moreno tried to outrun police in a stolen Honda Accord. Instead, he drove into a dead-end at Lodge Street and Mayfair – the same block where he was shot by police Thursday.

Moreno was convicted of trying to strangle the officer, who used a Taser and headbutted him in the nose to subdue him, according to court records.

Moreno was sentenced to four years in state prison, court records show.

He was released recently and had seemed optimistic about the future, said friends who gathered Friday morning around a memorial of candles. He didn’t want to end up back behind bars and seemed to be taking steps to move past his crimes, they said. They said they didn’t know why he had a gun or what led him to shoot at officers.

SHOTS FIRED

The series of events that led to the fatal shooting began shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, when two probation officers went to an apartment on Mayfair Avenue, Schmidt said. There, they saw two men standing with a man who was on probation. As they got out of the car, the two men with the probationer ran off.

One officer remained with the probationer, while the other followed the two men. One of the men shot several times, and the officer retreated to call for backup, Schmidt said.

Anaheim SWAT officers responded and began a search of the neighborhood with the help of a police helicopter. A little more than an hour later, a police dog found Moreno hiding near a trash bin behind a nearby apartment complex, Schmidt said.

He shot at police, hitting the police dog, Schmidt said. At least one officer returned fire, and Moreno was pronounced dead at the scene.

TROUBLED STREET

The neighborhood has seen a number of shootings over the years, said Monica Solis, 25. She witnessed a drive-by shooting as a child and remembered in the late 1990s when the city converted Mayfair Avenue and Lodge Avenue into two dead-end streets to put a stop to fleeing drivers.

“We just don’t know what to expect anymore,” she said.

She hoped for a more peaceful future, but said she didn’t expect much to change.

“It’s been like this for years,” she said.

The lengthy investigation after Thursday’s shooting was also hard on families in the neighborhood, many of whom couldn’t get back to their homes after picking up their kids from school, said Jose Sanchez, 40. In the five years he has lived on the street, he said, he’s seen some suspicious activity. Police response has typically been slow, he said.

“It’s unfortunate something like this had to happen,” he said. “Maybe it will bring light to this issue.”

Staff writer Sean Emery contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: ckoerner@ocregister.com or 714-704-3706