Two Ex-Cons Charged With Oakland Murder

OAKLAND, CA — Two ex-convicts have been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a man in East Oakland last month, prosecutors said.

Ernesto Ferrer, 22, and Joel Garcia Lopez, 26, are also charged with arson for allegedly burning vehicles linked to the killing of 22-year-old Lorenzo Castrejon of Oakland in the 3100 block of Chapman Street, which is west of Interstate Highway 880 and north of Fruitvale Avenue, at about 2:15 a.m. on Feb. 8.

Officers who responded to reports of gunfire found Castrejon suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Ferrer and Garcia Lopez are charged with murder, an enhancement of discharging a firearm causing death, being felons in possession of a firearm and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. In addition, Ferrer is charged with assault on a peace officer for trying to run down an Oakland police sergeant on Feb. 10.

Ferrer and Garcia Lopez were identified by witnesses and surveillance video as the suspect who shot Castrejon, Oakland police Sgt. Michael Cardoza wrote in a probable cause statement. Witness statements and additional surveillance video indicate that after the shooting Ferrer drove the Ford Fusion that was used in the incident to a Castro Valley gas station, where he cleaned out the car before driving it to a remote area in San Joaquin County, where he set it on fire to destroy evidence, according to Cardoza.

Samantha Sandoval, who allegedly was with Ferrer and Garcia Lopez at the time of the shooting, is charged with arson for allegedly helping Ferrer burn the car, according to court records.Garcia Lopez was identified by witnesses as driving a stolen vehicle linked to the shooting, a 2010 Audi Q5, to Norris Canyon Road in
Castro Valley, where it also was set on fire, Cardoza wrote.

In addition, Garcia Lopez is charged with two counts of dissuading a witness for allegedly making credible threats to cause great bodily harm to witnesses if they were to tell the police what happened, according to court documents. Cardoza said that on Feb. 10, two days after the fatal shooting, Ferrer was observed driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee out of the parking lot at the Parkland Motel at 8100 MacArthur Blvd. in East Oakland and intentionally ramming a marked police vehicle that was being driven by a police sergeant.

Ferrer was arrested after a failed attempt to flee the scene. Two firearms were recovered from the motel room from which he fled, according to Cardoza. Prosecutors say Garcia Lopez has a 2014 felony conviction for
domestic violence and Ferrer has a 2016 conviction for receiving stolen property and he was on probation for that offense at the time of the fatal shooting incident.

Ferrer and Garcia Lopez, who are being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, are scheduled to return to court on March 28 to enter pleas.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock