Amador County – Five gang-affiliated men have been arraigned in the shooting death of a man last Tuesday night in a reported shootout at a commercial marijuana growing operation on Carbondale Road in Amador County.

Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner released details of the charges in the homicide investigation, saying all five men have been ordered to be held without bail, and have been charged, after investigators and prosecutors determined they have sufficient evidence.

Wegner said the “five subjects are identified as Andrew Minh Manisap, 18, of Sacramento; Son Thai Nguyen, 19, of Elk Grove; Michael Saechao, 20, of Sacramento; David Van Tai, 22, of Sacramento; and Vu Xuan Tran, 23, of Sacramento.

All five were reported by investigators to be members of a Sacramento-area gang.

Wegner said the “five subjects were arraigned in Amador Superior Court” at 3 p.m. Friday Sept. 30, after which “Amador Superior Court Judge David Richmond ordered all five to be held in the Amador County Jail with no bail.”

Wegner in the release said that last Thursday (Sept. 29), “detectives from the Amador County Sheriff’s Office and Prosecutors from the Amador County District Attorney’s Office met to discuss the physical, circumstantial and direct evidence that has thus far been identified in relationship to the death of 45-year-old He Ting Fu.”

Fu was found dead Tuesday, Sept. 27 at a “medicinal marijuana cultivation site reportedly operated by Fu and three other individuals,” Wegner said. “A forensic pathologist’s examination of Fu conducted by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office determined that Fu was killed by a single gunshot wound to the thoracic cavity.”

He said “detectives discussed the investigation that has been conducted thus far and the on-going investigation that will continue with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Department and the Elk Grove Police Department. Prosecutors evaluated that information and identified supplemental investigations to be completed.”

Wegner said “based upon the totality of the information available at that time, Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe determined sufficient evidence was present to charge the five individuals arrested by Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies with murder with the special circumstance that the murder was carried out to further the activities of a criminal street gang. It was also alleged that a firearm was used during the commission of the murder.”

According to Sheriff’s Department reports, the decedent, Fu, was found holding an empty shotgun, with two spent shells lying beside his body. He was found inside a trailer where evidence pointed to an exchange of gunfire having taken place. A caller had reported hearing 15-20 gunshots at the scene of the farm.

A search of the property found 779 marijuana plants, 8 pounds of processed marijuana, an assault rifle, shotguns and semi-automatic pistols.

A pre-preliminary hearing date was set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 7 in the case.

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