GREENFIELD — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges against an 18-year-old Greenfield man arrested last week in connection with a Moss Landing shooting that killed two teenagers, citing insufficient evidence to disprove a claim of self-defense.
District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Nov. 9 that her office determined there was insufficient evidence to charge Donald Breeden, who was arrested Nov. 5 on suspicion of two counts of murder with criminal street gang enhancements following an investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the DA’s decision does not close the case.
The shooting occurred about 1:48 a.m. on Nov. 2 during a party on Jetty Road in Moss Landing, resulting in the deaths of 13-year-old Nathaniel Flores and 15-year-old Marco Antonio Perez, both of Salinas, and gunshot injuries to a third person.
According to the DA’s office, dozens of people attended the party, most or all of them juveniles and young adults. Attendees included Norteno gang members and associates from Salinas and Greenfield.
A verbal argument broke out between the groups over alleged inappropriate behavior by members of the Salinas group, including theft, vandalism and threats of violence. Witness statements and physical evidence corroborated some of those allegations, the DA’s office said.
The argument escalated, with people from both groups exchanging gang insults. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of who initiated the shooting, with some saying the Salinas group fired first and others saying the Greenfield group did.
Investigators collected 21 shell casings at the scene, which were fired from at least two guns. Forensic analysis is pending, and no firearms have been recovered, according to the DA’s office.
The two teenagers were shot seven and five times, respectively. A young adult from the Greenfield group was shot twice and survived.
“Under California Law, the prosecution has the burden to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt,” Pacioni said in the release. “In other words, self-defense is not just a trial defense available to the accused; the People bear the burden to prove its absence to file charges in the first place. At this time there is insufficient evidence to prove that Donald Breeden did not fire in self-defense.”
Breeden was arrested after sheriff’s detectives served search warrants Nov. 5 in Greenfield and King City. The first warrant was served in the 900 block of Maple Avenue in Greenfield, where three people were detained. A second warrant was executed in the 45000 block of Crown Avenue in King City.
Breeden was booked into Monterey County Jail with bail set at $2 million. He remains in custody at Monterey County Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office In Custody Log on Monday.
The Sheriff’s Office investigation remains active. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Richard Geng at 831-759-7279.
