King City Police Arrest Suspect on Murder Charge in Gang Related Shooting
The King City Police Department made a big arrest Saturday following a ten-day investigation in a murder case that occurred September 2, 2012 in the 400 block of Seventh Street in King City at around 8:15 pm. Diego Romero, 25, was shot in cold blood in the early evening and injured in the shooting was Anthony Navarro, 19, who was treated for a single gunshot wound and later released from the hospital. Children were playing in the neighborhood nearby as the shootings took place. Diego Romero was pronounced dead at the hospital from a single gunshot wound, despite numerous attempts to revive him.
One resident, whose home is less than a block away from the scene, said, “it really scared me. The shots were loud, and then all we heard were sirens. We found out the next day the one guy died. I mean this was like at 8 p.m. on a Sunday night, kids were still out playing.”
Another resident, whose husband was called out (he is a volunteer firefighter), said, “it just blows me away that these people have zero morals and no love of life. I honestly do not understand how people can think that joining a gang or being in one could ever be good, I guess if you have a death wish then it is great.”
Sgt. Bobby Carrillo reported that officers served a search warrant at Comfort Court Saturday in the 900 block of Broadway when Juan Serrrano Jimenez, 22, was arrested on suspicion of murder. “We could not have done this with out the cooperation of everyone who came forward,” said King City Police Chief Nick Baldiviez. “It was the witness statements that made the arrest happen, along with a lot of followup from King City Police Officers. We had a great showing of teamwork and a lot of tenacious efforts by many. This really was the result of an intensive investigation by everyone involved,” he said.
The Comfort Court, which is where the arrest was made, is in an area of great concern as it is located so close to King City High School. “We make a lot of arrests there,” he said. “This was definitely a gang related shooting, and all involved were in gangs. We are here to protect the innocent, not them.”
Serrano was arrested without incident, said police, and booked into the Monterey County jail on charges of suspicion of murder, attempted murder and numerous gang enhancements, said Chief Baldiviez.
King City Police are still actively pursuing the investigation and anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the department at 831-386-5980 or the We Tip Line at 1-800-78-CRIME.
Read More:
The Californian: Arrest made in King City Murder
