2 Suspects Arrested in 2 Shootings Last Weekend that Wounded 3 People

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a series of shootings over the weekend, including an exchange of gunfire with police that did not result in any injuries and two shootings that wounded three people, police said on Thursday.

Police said the two injury shootings, which occurred roughly 12 hours apart, were related to each other as part of possible gang activity. Officers arrested 35-year-old Nicole Dato of Richmond and 31-year-old Pedro Gomez of San Pablo.

Gomez is being held on a $5.4 million bail, and Dato is being held on a $1.8 million bail, according to jail records. They were taken into custody on Sunday after Gomez allegedly fired several gunshots in the direction of police officers, who were investigating an unrelated burglary, from a car that Dato was driving, police said. An officer returned fire but no one was injured, police said.

The first of the two injury shootings was reported around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Miller Knox Regional Shoreline in Richmond, according to East Bay Regional Park District police Sgt. Tyrone Davis. Davis said the shooting took place on the shoreline between Keller Beach and the main park.

A 23-year-old Richmond man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and a 25-year-old Richmond man suffered a gunshot wound to the hand, park district spokeswoman Carolyn Jones said. Jones said both men are recovering from their injuries. Park police were initially investigating the incident but had no leads on suspects in the shooting, park police Lt. Lance Brede said.

Some 12 hours later, just before 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Richmond police said a ShotSpotter alerted officers to multiple gunshots fired in the area of 21st Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Richmond. Shortly thereafter, a man arrived at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Richmond with a gunshot wound to the neck that police said is not considered life-threatening. A witness to that shooting started following the suspects as they drove east near the 3800 block of Macdonald Avenue, where Richmond police officers were investigating an unrelated report of a burglary.

Gomez allegedly started shooting in the direction of the officers and the witness who was still following in a car, prompting one of the officers to return fire, police said. The officers began pursuing the vehicle to the intersection of Macdonald and San Pablo avenues, where they were able to stop the car and take both Dato and Gomez into custody without incident, according to police.

Police said they also found a gun in the car. When officers detained Gomez and Dato, Jones said Gomez implicated himself in the shooting at Miller Knox Regional Shoreline. Richmond police said there were also several other interviews and extensive follow-up to the shootings, which led police to believe the two incidents were related to each other.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged Gomez with three counts of attempted murder, including two for the shootings at the Miller Knox Regional Shoreline, police said. He was also charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle with firearm and gang enhancements. The district attorney’s office charged Dato with attempted murder for the shooting on Sunday morning and with shooting at an occupied vehicle, police said.

Anyone with information about either incident is encouraged to contact Richmond police Detective Eric Haupt at (510) 620-6541.

By Bay City News