Man Shot Dead At Cannery Row

MONTEREY BAY, CA – A man died in a shooting at Monterey's Cannery Row early this morning, the first homicide near the popular tourist destination in 25 years, police said.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired at the Cannery Row Parking Garage in the 600 block of Wave Street around 1:40 a.m., police said.

They found a man, later identified as 28-year-old Raul Melendez of Monterey, at the garage entrance, with multiple gunshot wounds according to police.

He was transported to Natividad Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

A preliminary investigation showed Melendez appeared to be a target in the shooting, police said.

It was the first homicide in Cannery Row, which overlooks Monterey Bay since 1991, according to police.

The MPD investigations Unit and the Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics Team (PRVNT) responded to the scene and are actively investigating the crime, the agency said.

Anyone with information on the shooting, victim or suspicious activity possibly connected with the crime is asked to call police Detective Sgt. Ron Blair at (831) 646-3814 or confidential tip line at (831) 646-3840.

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--Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via image via ANDR3W A/Flickr