Teen Arrested In Cinco De Mayo Shooting

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Police arrested a 19-year-old Ukiah man suspected in a shooting outside the Roseland Cinco de Mayo Festival that critically wounded another man and triggered concerns about gang violence at one of the city’s largest community celebrations.

Officers with the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team found the suspect around 3:30 a.m. inside a vehicle near Ridley and Jennings avenues, according to a news statement from Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan.

Police said the shooting erupted around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday outside the festival near Sebastopol Road and Avalon Avenue after rival groups exchanged challenges in a library parking lot in the 400 block of Sebastopol Road.

Cregan said the confrontation escalated within seconds. Officers stationed near the festival heard multiple gunshots coming from the direction of Dutton Avenue and moments later encountered a wounded man running toward them for help, police said.

Investigators said the suspect fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once before fleeing. The wounded man suffered life-threatening injuries but remained in stable condition Wednesday.

Detectives said additional suspects may have been involved and the firearm used in the shooting had not been recovered by Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to the victim, a bullet struck a nearby taco truck and shook the crowds who had gathered in Roseland to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The parking lot where the shooting happened is the site of a future Santa Rosa Police Department station.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Gang Crimes Team tipline at 707-543-3670. Police are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of additional suspects.

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