Monday, 15 March 2010 18:00

Suspect Identified in Jackson Rancheria Gang Shooting

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slide1-suspect_identified_in_jackson_rancheria_gang_shooting.pngAmador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Office announced late Monday it has positively identified the individual responsible in a gang-related shooting at the Jackson Rancheria Casino on Sunday. Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner said Gilbert Zaragoza, 19, of Stockton has been booked into the Amador County Jail on two counts of attempted murder for shooting two alleged members of an opposing gang inside the Jackson Rancheria Casino on March 14th at approximately 5:30 am. Wegner said Zaragoza is a documented member of the Lathrop Hispanic Pride gang. Two Hispanic male victims, one an 18-year-old man and the other a 15-year-old boy, were shot in the neck or face during the shooting. They were subsequently transported to area hospitals and both individuals are reportedly in stable condition. Surveillance video shows Zaragoza and others enter the casino and open fire on the victims in what was apparently a confrontation between rival gangs from the Stockton area. Video footage from multiple angles shows the shooting take place within a small area in the casino’s restaurant. The suspects fled into the casino’s multi-level parking garage immediately following the shooting. “Surveillance video was critical in my opinion. Not only for the quick and rapid apprehension of the suspects, but for giving us where to look inside that massive parking structure," said Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan to CW13 News in Sacramento. Wegner said “Sheriff’s Deputies, assisted by Jackson Rancheria Casino Security, and officers from the Jackson and Sutter Creek Police Departments established a perimeter around the casino parking structure where the suspect and several associates were observed fleeing.” Amador County Sheriff’s SWAT Team members apprehended four individuals and two associated vehicles in the structure. Two more suspects were later apprehended on Highway 88 after exiting the brush in the area near Dalton Road. Wegner said “Sheriff’s Detectives who had been at the scene conducting the initial investigation responded and with the use of the surveillance video of the incident were able to confirm the two subjects were involved in the shooting, one of them being the shooter.” An evidentiary search of one of the suspect vehicles revealed a .22 caliber revolver, the firearm believed to be utilized in the shooting. Zaragoza is being held without bail at the Amador County Jail. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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