Police still searching for suspects in Morgan Hill murder
Morgan Hill’s “gang community” seems to have cooled down, after a spurt of activity earlier this month, likely triggered by the murder of a 19-year-old Gilroy man believed to be a member of the Sureño gang, according to Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. Joe Sampson.
“It’s pretty quiet right now,” Sampson said Thursday. “We’re still looking out for possible problems between the gangs, but I believe what we saw earlier was a spike, and activity levels are returning to normal.”
MHPD officers were kept busier than usual with a heightened level of activity between members or people who like to associate themselves with the Norteño and Sureño gangs after Luis Santos Bautista was shot on Sept. 30 behind the Safeway grocery store in the Tennant Station shopping center.
During the three days following the shooting, there were several fights in Morgan Hill, including, according to Sampson, some “posturing and fisticuffs” between some students at Live Oak High, though Principal Nick Boden said there were no gang fights on the campus.
Police detectives believe the homicide was in retaliation for two earlier incidents. At the end of August, two 15-year-olds were injured during a fight, apparently with a knife. They were treated and released from the hospital on the same day. On Sept. 24, after the Taste of Morgan Hill had closed down for the day, a 17-year-old Morgan Hill man threatened a 20-year-old Morgan Hill man with a 2’ x 4’ piece of wood which had nails sticking out at one end. The suspect assaulted another man with the stick and was arrested and charged with armed robbery, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal street gang activity.
Before the homicide, Bautista was seen fleeing from five men, estimated to be in their late teens or early 20’s. He fell after four bullets struck him in the arm, chest, abdomen and thigh. He died later that night.
Less than 24 hours later, Anthony Frausto, 18, of Morgan Hill was arrested and charged with Bautista’s murder. He is being held in the Santa Clara County Jail without possibility of bail. His next court date is Tuesday.
“Detectives are still working on the investigation,” Sampson said Thursday. “They are attempting to locate other potentially involved suspects.”
Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the MHPD at 779-2101 or to report information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at (408)947-STOP.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
