Governor Offering $50K For Information About 2015 Murder Of Sacramento Man
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — An unsolved homicide in Sacramento is getting the governor's attention.
Governor Newsom's office is offering $50,000 for information about a deadly shooting at a Home Depot in 2015.
More than four years after a 20-year-old man was shot and killed while sitting in his car, there are no answers and no justice.
"We've exhausted all leads and we believe there is somebody out there with that information," Sacramento Police Officer Karl Chan said.
Sacramento police needed help and asked the governor's office. A state program allows the governor to grant up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest in certain unsolved crimes.
"There's always forensics, there's always other leads, there's always other investigative methods. But at this point, this is where we are at in this investigation, and we're looking to turn a corner," Chan said.
The victim in the shooting, Anthony Barajas, had taken a short trip to the Home Depot on Meadowview with his younger brother when he was shot in the chest by a car passing by. Police have no idea why this happened.
Chan says rewards, depending on the severity of the crime, can be successful. A governor's office spokesperson said $50,000 can be offered in this case because the crime involved a firearm. The reward money is meant to motivate witnesses.
But, it's a tactic that does not always work. In May, a Stockton family offered $100,000 for information about the murder of a man who was found dead in his car. They spoke to the media in depth about the case.
Stockton police say not only is that crime still unsolved, but the reward did not generate any tips. Sacramento police are hoping for a better result.
"We are confident that somebody will bring us resolution," Chan said.
A spokesperson for the governor's office says the crime tip reward program has been around since the 1800s.