LIVINGSTON -- Two suspects were arrested Friday morning in an incident police say is connected to a shooting Sunday that left one teenager dead and another injured.
Johnny Orosco, 22, and a 16-year-old were arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, negligent discharge of a firearm and conspiracy stemming from the related incident, said Livingston police Sgt. Ray Fong. The juvenile has ties to a criminal street gang, Fong added.
While investigating the shooting, Fong said, detectives found out about an incident days earlier in which the two people arrested Friday were reported to have been brandishing a firearm. Authorities got warrants based on that incident, but the pair are also suspected of being connected to Sunday's slaying.
The Livingston Police Department teamed with the Merced County sheriff's SWAT team to serve two search warrants, Fong said.
Another man, 23-year-old Gabriel Miranda, also was arrested during the searches on an unrelated warrant, Fong said.
No one was injured as the warrants were served, but one suspect was shot with a round from a beanbag gun, Fong said. The suspect didn't ask for medical assistance.
One of the searched houses, at 428 Simpson Ave., was dilapidated and was supposed to be unoccupied, Fong said.
"This house in particular, it's really in nonlivable condition," Fong said as he stood outside. "There's a lot of animal and human feces and urine all over the place."
During the search, officers found several pieces of evidence, including a .22-caliber firearm, Fong said.
Earlier this week, police identified the shooting victim as 18-year-old Regino Rodriguez.
A second man, 18-year-old Samuel Gonzalez, suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg, but survived, according to police.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 1:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Swan Street and found the victims in a shed.
Rodriguez received a single gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to a Modesto hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The death is the first homicide for the city in nearly three years -- the last one was in 2009. In that case, Salud Santacruz Ruiz, 47, was found stabbed to death in the back yard of a home in the 1600 block of Second Street.
During a City Council meeting Tuesday, interim Livingston Police Chief Chris Soria said he had assigned an officer and a detective to the slaying, which he described as "tragic."
"This shouldn't have happened," he said. "Two people -- and especially one person whose life ended when he was very young."
During the same meeting, Mayor Rodrigo Espinoza offered his condolences to the family of the victim, who was killed on his birthday. The shooting happened down the street from Espinoza's house.
Rodriguez's death is the fourth homicide reported in Merced County this year.
The Rodriguez family is trying to raise money for funeral expenses. Donations can be deposited to Wells Fargo bank account No. 7347876224.
A service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Livingston. Rodriguez will be buried at Winton Cemetery District after the service.
Reporter Mike North can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or mnorth@mercedsunstar.com.
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