Two young men with alleged street gang affiliations were charged
for their involvement in a Morgan Hill shooting in which no one
appears to have been hit, authorities said.
Two young men with alleged street gang affiliations were charged for their involvement in a Morgan Hill shooting in which no one appears to have been hit, authorities said.
Isidro Kris Zamora, 21 of Morgan Hill, and Juan Ceja, 21 of San Jose, were charged this week with one felony count each of discharging a firearm with gross negligence, according to South County supervising deputy district attorney Steve Lowney. Zamora was charged with an enhanced violation because he was out of custody on bail for a previous unrelated charge – possession of a dangerous weapon – at the time of the shooting.
The pair were arrested Tuesday afternoon following an incident that police think was gang-related. The shooting happened in a parking lot behind the Chevron gas station, 15865 Monterey Road about 3 p.m.
When police arrived at the scene nobody involved in the shooting was there, Neumayer said. But witnesses told police they heard two gunshots, then saw two shooters leave the area in a Chevrolet Suburban, Neumayer said. An apparently targeted victim was seen fleeing the area southbound from the gas station on foot. Police have not located or identified the victim, and do not think anyone was shot.
Later Tuesday police responded to a 911 call reporting a suspicious vehicle – apparently abandoned – at the end of Louis Holstrom Drive in unincorporated west Morgan Hill. The vehicle matched the description of that driven by the shooters, police said.
The vehicle was unoccupied, and police assisted by Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies searched the surrounding area. They found two people hiding in vegetation Paradise View Road about one mile from where the vehicle was located, and arrested them as the shooting suspects.
Ceja and Zamora were arrested without incident, police said. Both were booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of weapons-related offenses.
The shooting weapon, a .22-caliber handgun, has not been recovered, Neumayer said. Two shell casings were recovered from the area near the Chevron where the shooting happened.
The Suburban was registered to Ceja, police said.
The two suspects were arraigned Thursday Lowney said. If convicted, Ceja faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. Zamora faces a maximum sentence of four years due to the bail enhancement.
If convicted, Zamora and Ceja face a maximum sentence of one year in county jail.
Area hospitals were notified of the incident in case a gunshot victim checked in. As of Thursday afternoon police had not heard if any shooting victims had sought medical treatment, Neumayer said.
Anyone with information related to the shooting may call Morgan Hill police at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
