Police charge suspect in 2014 cold case
Noted San Diego gang member arrested on suspicion of murder
SUNNYVALE — Three months after re-opening an investigation into a fatal shooting at Encinal Park in 2014, police have arrested a reputed gang member in San Diego on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Alfonso Gonzales, 25, was arrested April 18 with the assistance of the San Di- ego County Gang Task Force, the Sunnyvale Dept. of Public Safety announced Thursday. Gonzales has been charged with one count of murder and eight counts of attempted murder, according to Sunnyvale police Capt. Shawn Ahearn.
Ahearn said authorities waited to announce the arrest because the investigation was still in process.
“We weren’t sure if there were additional outstanding suspects,” Ahearn said.
On Aug. 2, 2014 at 2:30 a.m., a group of people were hanging out near picnic tables at Encinal Park when someone opened fire at them from a distance, according to Sunnyvale police. Ernesto Castro-Sanchez, 20, was shot and killed in the shooting. A woman was also injured.
On Feb. 23, Sunnyvale investigators reopened the case and offered a $20,000 reward for information directly leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the killing.
The reward offer generated a tip about a vehicle that was seen in the area on the night of the killing, according to Ahearn. On March 8, investigators released a surveillance photo of the vehicle, a gold or tan 1990s Honda Accord or Civic with a visible sunroof and seven spoked rims.
Police say the motive for the crime was gang related, and credit the arrest to a follow-up investigation involving the Department of Public Safety, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Office, Department of Justice and the Mountain View Police Department.