San Diego police said they arrested a man suspected of going on a “shooting spree” Friday, firing a semi-automatic suspected “ghost gun” at multiple locations in San Diego County, killing one person and injuring three others.
Lemon Grove resident Jaime Gonzalez, 22, was booked into jail for one count of murder, five counts of attempted murder and additional firearms-related charges, SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said.
At around 8:20 p.m., shots were fired near a trolley stop at 6200 Akins Ave., Shebloski said. Once officers arrived at the scene, they found four teens had been shot at but only two of them were struck by gunfire. Those victims are both 15-year-old boys. One of them was shot in his upper body and arms; the other was hit in the arm. Both shooting victims were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive, Shebloski said. The other two teens who were shot at are 15- and 16-year-old boys, respectively.
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Then at 9:17 p.m., officers responded to another shooting at the 1800 block of Manzana Way in Bay Terraces. Once officers arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. The first victim is a 34-year-old man and the other is a 32-year-old man. Both victims were taken to a hospital. The 32-year-old died from his injuries, while the 34-year-old is expected to survive.
While investigating these shootings, officers learned that another such incident occurred earlier, at 8:07 p.m., at Dovecrest Court in Spring Valley, according to Shebloski. Investigators found that a gunman shot at a person, but no one was struck by gunfire. That investigation is being handled by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
Officers did receive detailed descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle, and located his car parked on Paradise Valley Road at 9:45 p.m. Gonzalez was taken into custody without incident. During the arrest, officers found a semi-automatic 9mm handgun in the vehicle that appears to be an untraceable firearm known as a "ghost gun," SDPD said.
Police believe they have reason to suspect the shootings were connected.
On Monday, San Diego police elaborated on the random aspect of the shootings.
"Detectives have learned it appears the suspect essentially went on a shooting spree where he drove to different locations in the county and city of San Diego," the release said. "For reasons that remain uncertain at this time, it appears he targeted random groups of people. There does not appear to be a link between each of the victim groups. It seems the suspect randomly saw and selected each group, got out of his vehicle, and opened fire after approaching them on foot."
The 32-year-old victim was identified by police as Raul Rojas Valdez, a resident of San Diego.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293. Tips can be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
