Suspected gunman in San Diego homicide found, arrested in Riverside County
MURRIETA
Four days after a man was fatally shot in San Diego, authorities arrested the 18-year-old suspect in Murrieta, police said Thursday.
San Diego police had been looking for Joseph Mehlenbacher, wanted as the suspected gunman in the death of 28-year-old San Diego resident Kenneth Confer this week.
Homicide Lt. Andra Brown said Mehlenbacher was found in the city and arrested without incident Wednesday. She did not say what led authorities to find Mehlenbacher, but thanked Murrieta Police Department for their help in apprehending him.
Confer was shot about 11 p.m. Saturday outside a residence on El Cajon Boulevard near El Cerrito Drive. Police arrived to find him on a second-f loor landing with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Police have said Confer and Mehlenbacher had an altercation before the shooting.
Earlier this week, homicide Lt. Matt Dobbs said investigators were not sure if the two men knew each other. Dobbs said neither of them lived at the residence, but each visited occasionally.
Jail records indicate Mehlenbacher was booked into San Diego Central Jail early Thursday afternoon on suspicion of murder. He was jailed in lieu of $3 million bail. It was not immediately clear when he will be arraigned in Superior Court. a pickup driver who took off after running into a 70-year-old bicyclist in Mira Mesa over the weekend.
The crash happened about 12:50 p.m. Saturday as the truck was headed south on Camino Ruiz and took a right on Gold Coast Drive, according to San Diego Crime Stoppers.
As the pickup made the right turn in front of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, it struck the bicyclist in the crosswalk, authorities said.
The motorist drove off without stopping and was last seen headed south down Ambassador Avenue, a block from the crash site.
The bicyclist suffered a broken leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The vehicle that struck him was described as a white 1997 to 2000 Toyota Tacoma. It has a camper shell and sustained front-end damage in the collision.
Anyone who knows the identity or location of the pickup driver was asked to call San Diego police Traffic Division at (858) 495-7807.
Anonymous tips can be left by calling San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. To learn how to leave tips online or via mobile app, go to sdcrimestoppers.org.