Suspects arrested for orchard shooting
Man and woman arrested in connection to May shooting death of Live Oak man
Two people were arrested Friday afternoon in connection to the May shooting death of a Live Oak man.
Jesus E. Perez, 39, was arrested on suspicion of murdering 61-yearold Paramjit Singh Randhawa May 25.
Perez was first arrested the day of the murder when a 911 caller reported seeing a blue Honda in the area of the shooting. The driver, Perez, led police on a short pursuit before crashing in the area of Pass and West Butte roads and was arrested on evading charges unrelated to the murder. The 911 caller, 38-year-old Shannon M. Johnson, was arrested Friday after detectives determined she was withholding information and lying about the murder investigation, according to a Sutter County Sheriff’s Office press release. She was arrested and booked into Sutter County Jail on suspicion of accessory after the fact.
Johnson called police just before 9 a.m. May 25 to report a man was down in an almond orchard near the 11000 block of Meyers Road
with a gunshot wound to the head. She advised she saw a blue vehicle in the area but was unsure if it was involved in the shooting or not, according to the release.
One deputy located the victim while another found a blue Honda in the area, and attempted to make a felony traffic stop. Perez, of Gridley, then fled. A shotgun was found near the Honda.
Perez, who has been in Sutter County Jail since May for evading and being a felon in possession of ammunition and a firearm, is now facing a murder charge.
Sutter County Undersheriff Scott Smallwood said detectives are still investigating a motive. The only known relationship between the suspect and victim is that Perez would stay with his girlfriend, Johnson, who lived on the property where Randhawa worked.