Prelim hearing date still undetermined for Fiesta Days shooter, 19-year-old

A preliminary hearing date still remains pending for the 19-year-old Suisun City man charged with a shooting during the Fiesta Days event last May in Vacaville.

Herman Torres-Bernal, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, appeared Jan. 12 for more proceedings in Department 11 in the Justice Center in Fairfield, where Judge William J. Pendergast vacated an earlier scheduled preliminary hearing.

The judge then ordered Torres-Bernal to return for a readiness conference and a preliminary hearing setting at 8:30 a.m. March 2, court records show.

At his jail arraignment on June 1, Torres-Bernal waived his formal arraignment as his attorney at the time, Public Defender Max Fuentes, stood nearby.

Speaking on his behalf, Fuentes also said his client not only pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge but also not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault with a firearm.

Deputy District Attorney Kevin N. Tali, who represented the people, asked for $750,000 bail and Solano County Superior Court Commissioner Robert Q. Warshawsky granted it.

Torres-Bernal, who was arrested at about 8 p.m. May 29 in the 700 block of East Monte Vista Avenue, remains in Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield.

As previously reported in The Reporter, the gunfire, which wounded one, caused a brief panic and ultimately forced early closure of the event, which was held in Andrews Park.

Tensions reportedly started around 7:45 p.m. when Torres-Bernal and another 18-year-old man got into an argument and words escalated into a physical fight, then-Vacaville police Sgt. Frank Piro said. Torres-Bernal then allegedly pulled a firearm, Piro said, and shot the victim, a Fairfield resident, in the leg.

Officers patrolling the carnival area heard gunfire and went to investigate. They found the victim, suffering from a wound said to be not life-threatening and performed medical aid. The victim was subsequently taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a suspect description was provided and an off-duty Vacaville officer caught the suspect near the Fiesta Garden.

Torres-Bernal was arrested and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and for a juvenile probation violation.

Piro confirmed reports of a panic-fueled stampede following the shooting, and social media reports were rife with tales of the violence and its aftermath.