Did an old feud between rivals spark the deadly shooting at a Merced pizza restaurant?

New details have come to light in the Sept. 13 shooting at a packed Merced Mountain Mike’s pizza restaurant that left one man dead.

The defendant in the case, Adrian Diego Calderon, 21, an alleged gang member accused of killing Ermilo Guijosa, 38, and injuring two of the victim’s brothers — is scheduled to appear Nov. 16 in Merced County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing. There, a judge will determine whether ample evidence exists to send him to trial.

He has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, two counts of assault with a firearm and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.

According to a Merced police incident report, investigators believe a prior violent confrontation involving the defendant and one of the victim’ brothers may have sparked the shooting at the 1348 West Olive Ave. restaurant.

The night of the shooting, defendant Calderon had invited a friend to Mountain Mike’s restaurant, according to the report.

That night was busy at the restaurant, as many people gathered to watch the Las Vegas Raiders vs. the Baltimore Ravens game on Monday Night Football.

Calderon’s friend isn’t named in the police report.

When Calderon’s friend went to the pizzeria to meet the defendant, that friend saw three of his own uncles — one of whom was the victim Guijosa — sitting at a table in the restaurant.

After the defendant’s friend said hello to his uncles, he walked and sat next to Calderon at the bar.

One of the friend’s uncles then came over to Calderon and their nephew, and talked about having an “old beef.”

According to the police report, that beef stemmed from a fight Calderon had more than a year ago with one of Guijosa’s brothers who was at the restaurant.

A fight then ensued in the restaurant, resulting in Calderon firing gunshots that killed Guijosa and wounded his brothers, who survived their injuries, the report says.

Who threw the first punch?

There are questions about who started the fight. One police report said the victim had thrown the first punch at Calderon.

As of Friday afternoon, neither the prosecutors in the case or Calderon’s defense attorneys were available to answer questions.

According to the police report, Calderon’s friend didn’t want to be involved in the fight and walked away. Calderon’s friend said after walking away he then heard two to three gunshots fired behind him — although he didn’t see who fired the shots, according to the report.

Guijosa was shot three times, according to a police report, and the bullet that killed him appeared to pass through his neck, hitting his jugular vein.

In the days after the shooting, police obtained a search warrant that allowed access to the Facebook and Instagram accounts of Guijosa and the other brothers, to check whether any conversations between them may have been connected to the shooting.

Calderon remains in custody at the John Latoracca Correctional Center.

This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.