Morgan Hill police continue to investigate the fatal shooting of Juan Jose Arellano, Jr., and plan to have extra officers out on the streets this weekend to suppress any violent retaliation to the series of gang-related crimes that ended with Friday night's killing.
No arrests have been made. Cmdr. Joe Sampson said police are in the process of gathering as much information as they can about the shooting victim and people he knew in the area. Detectives have been interviewing known gang members, probationers and parolees throughout South County, and working with other agencies to contact informants and gang associates in Arellano's hometown of Hollister and cities such as Watsonville and Salinas.
"The countywide information network is aware of the incident, we're working with Gilroy, the San Jose Crime Unit, parole and probation - it's all part of the teamwork," Sampson said.
He described progress on the investigation of three violent incidents within a four-hour time period as "slow and steady."
"Gang crimes are difficult because you have a lack of cooperation on both sides. Gangs always want to handle their own business, so that makes it difficult," Sampson said.
Having extra officers on the streets and working confidential sources for information about possible impending retaliation are part of the strategy to prevent more violence.
Arellano, 24, was shot and killed by at least two unknown attackers outside the apartments at 17689 Crest Ave. about 11:20 p.m. Friday, according to police and witnesses. The shooters were described as between 16 and 20 years old and wearing dark blue clothing. Blue is associated with the Sureno street gang, while red is associated with rival gang the Nortenos.
The shooting was the third and last in an unusual series of violent, gang-related attacks in and around downtown Morgan Hill Friday night, starting with the beating of a 16-year-old male at a bus stop near Main and Hale avenues about 8:15 p.m. That victim, whose name police did not release, was approached by an unidentified man who asked if he "gang-banged," and, when the juvenile said no, beat him up. He suffered an injured spleen and was treated at an area hospital, Sampson said. The teen was wearing a red shirt at the time.
Less than an hour later about 9 p.m., Jerry Devito, 31, of Gilroy, was stabbed 14 times by four light brown skinned men while they yelled gang slogans. The assault happened between StriXe Lounge and the Safeway store in Tennant Station, Sampson said. Devito, who has a red star tattoo on his face, took a taxi to Saint Louise Regional Hospital, where they called Gilroy Police. Devito was treated for minor injuries, including a large laceration below his left arm pit, and released Saturday.
The ongoing investigation includes piecing together if and how the same suspects were involved in all three incidents, which Sampson previously described as being tied by a "gang thread."
No suspects have been identified, and no detailed descriptions of any of Friday night's suspects have been released.
Arellano, known to the Crest Avenue apartments community as "Green Eyes," was not a validated gang member, but he was affiliated with gang members, Sampson said. According to Times archives, Arellano was arrested by Morgan Hill police in May 2008 for domestic violence.
He and his girlfriend, who were at the apartment complex visiting family, were wearing red at the time of Friday's shooting.
Moments before the shooting, Arellano and his attackers exchanged words about where they were from and what gang they might belong to, and then one of the suspects shot the victim several times in the upper body at point-blank range. Witnesses said he was shot in the head, but police could not confirm whether that was true. The shooter used a 9mm hand gun.
Since Saturday morning, a memorial to Arellano consisting of red and black balloons, flowers, and candles has been set up at the scene of the shooting.
Gang members from areas such as Hollister, Salinas and Watsonville often come to Morgan Hill on the weekends for entertainment because it is quieter and more peaceful than their hometowns, police have said.
However, Sampson did not suggest that those involved in Friday night's incidents were from any of those areas.
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