SOLEDAD — A teenager was arrested last Wednesday at a relative’s home in Soledad for the murder of 43-year-old Jess Gonzales, who was shot and killed March 23 near North Main and Massa streets in Salinas.
According to Salinas Police, detectives have been working leads, reviewing evidence and contacting witnesses since the shooting, which led to the identification and subsequent arrest of 18-year-old Guadalupe Rosas.
Police said investigators developed sufficient probable cause to arrest Rosas for Gonzales’ murder, tracking him March 29 to a relative’s home in the 1500 block of Vineyard Avenue in Soledad.
With the help of Soledad Police Department and the Salinas Violence Suppression Unit and SWAT teams, Rosas was taken into custody without incident. He was booked into Monterey County Jail on one count of homicide, associated gun and gang charges and an outstanding probation violation warrant.
Gonzales, a resident of Salinas, was walking away from the Shop N Save store located at 2143 N. Main St. when, for unknown reasons, the suspect approached him and shot him several times. Stray bullets also struck the store, but no one else was injured. Police said it is unknown if there was some type of confrontation prior to the shooting.
The homicide was the 12th of the year in Salinas.
