SALINAS – Some four dozen search warrants were served by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in an investigation of a mass shooting that left four dead in King City and two connected killings near Soledad a month earlier.
On March 3 a group of men opened fire at an outdoor birthday party on the 200 block of 2nd Street in King City, killing four and injuring seven. Two of the survivors were listed in critical condition at the time of the shootings. About a month earlier two cousins were gunned down off Los Coches Road just outside of Soledad.
Evidence has connected the two shootings, which are being called gang-related.
While no arrests have been made of the shooters, the Sheriff’s Office did report what it calls ancillary arrests of individuals who have helped law enforcement get a clearer picture of the shootings. Authorities are not disclosing whether there are other arrests imminent, citing the need to limit information because both cases are part of ongoing investigations. They did say there are several persons of interest.
Investigators have recovered evidence from three separate crime scenes, including a suspect vehicle, said Sheriff’s Commander Andres Rosas in an interview Friday with the Herald. Rosas emphasized that all the victims were innocent bystanders.
Evidence gathered at the scenes included fingerprints and DNA evidence, Rosas said, which can take time to process.
More than 50 search warrants have been served during the investigation, including two on Thursday. The Sheriff’s Office and local police are being assisted by the Monterey Peninsula Special Response Unit, a regional Special Weapons and Tactics team. Assistance was also provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshalls Service, Rosas said.
The two warrants served on Thursday were on the 200 block of 6th Street and the 3000 block of 11th Street in Greenfield. Rosas did not disclose what evidence might have been seized at the two locations.
Investigators have gathered a significant amount of evidence from the car that was discovered away from the scene of the shootings. Vehicles can provide law enforcement with multiple types of evidence, including potential GPS evidence. Rosas would not disclose what kinds of specific evidence was found in the car used by the suspects.
Investigators are asking that if anyone may have seen or heard anything related to the killings they can contact Sheriff’s Detective Arras Wilson at (831) 759-7203, King City Sgt. J. Partida at (831) 537-8415 or Detective Sgt. Nicholas Kennedy at (831) 755-3773 with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Unit.
Minor details that people might recall could be critical pieces of information in constructing the entire body of evidence, Rosas said.
“An individual recollection alone might not sound like much, but put together with other stuff it can be important,” he said.
