Crime & Safety
South County Homicides 2012
Gangs are to blame for much of the violence, authorities say.
South County Homicides 2012
- July 25: in a mixed-use building on the 200 block of Prospect Steet. A 22-year-old woman with him also was shot, but she survived. Michael Miller, 34, of Watsonville has been arrested in connection with the violence.
- May 30: Fernando Martin Mendoza-Avila, 21, of Live Oak was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on the Freedom Boulevard overpass on Highway 1. Three young men from Prunedale have been arrested and charged with murder, gang participation and gun crimes. All have pleaded not guilty.
- April 3: Ralph Cendejas, 42, of Watsonville was shot while mowing his neighbor's front yard on Dutchman Road. Sheriff's deputies investigated numerous leads, but no arrests have been made.
- March 31: Brandon Gil, 21, of Watsonville was fatally stabbed during a fight outside Miramar Sports Bar on Main Street. Police said the stabbing was self-defense and did not arrest the man who killed Gil.
There were .
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