Arrest made after fatal shooting at a Safeway

A man seen hopping fences and running through backyards shortly after a brazen shooting at a Safeway in American Canyon was being held Monday in connection with the killing of an 18yearold supermarket employee, authorities said.

Martinez resident Christopher “Roly” Young, 23, was taken into custody about 30 minutes after Nathan Gabriel Garza was fatally shot just after noon Sunday in a bustling parking lot located on West American Canyon Road, according to the Napa County Sheriff ’s Office. Young was being held Monday at the Napa County Detention Center on suspicion of murder and other charges.

Despite the high visibility of the crime — restaurants and retailers in the shopping area include Starbucks, Papa Murphy’s and a UPS store — eyewitnesses gave mixed accounts of the scene, said Henry Wofford, a Sheriff ’s Office spokesman.

“We’ve talked to multiple witnesses, and about six different people gave us the descriptions of about six different cars,” he said.

Officials did not immediately comment Monday on any potential motive or whether Young and Garza knew one another.

Young was apprehended after residents reported a man running through backyards, offi

cials said. He didn’t match witness descriptions of the shooting, leading investigators to initially believe he wasn’t involved.

Subsequent leads convinced investigators otherwise, officials said. Through the investigation, detectives learned that a white Cadillac sedan with a partial license plate of “7NP” was seen fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed.

The Cadillac was soon located on Cattail Drive in American Canyon, about a mile southwest of the Safeway, officials said. Residential surveillance footage showed a man matching Young’s description exiting the vehicle just minutes after the shooting and then headed in the direction where he was later arrested.

A search of the car unearthed a .45 caliber handgun, which was the same weapon used in the shooting, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has further information can contact detectives at 7072534591.