Primary Suspect In Stockton Cineplex Murder Arrested In Iowa
STOCKTON (CBS13) – A break in the case of a deadly shooting that happened outside of the downtown Stockton Cineplex has come from nearly 2,000 miles away.
Police say that Michael Moreno, identified as the primary suspect in the April 25 shooting, was arrested in Iowa yesterday. Moreno and two others were at a Mason City home, allegedly selling methamphetamine they had shipped from Stockton.
The arrest in Iowa has investigators reopening their murder investigation in Stockton, hoping they can now make an arrest in a brazen murder.
"This was a pretty heinous act," said Officer Joe Silva with the Stockton Police Department. "We are hoping people will come forward now so we can get key information so we can extradite him back to California."
Francisco Sanchez, a 30-year-old Stockton resident, was shot and killed in the April incident. A married father of a 5-year-old, police say Sanchez was an innocent victim.
Sanchez' wife made an emotional plea to the public a month after the shooting.
"I came here to ask the public to please, to please come forward with any information you have on my husband's murder," she said.
Stockton Police had also released this surveillance video from a restaurant near the theater that they say showed the suspects prior to the shooting, which may have started with an argument.
"There was a group of people who confronted our victim. During that, someone pulled out a gun and shot our victim," Silva said.
Silva believes this Iowa arrest will eventually bring Moreno back to Stockton.
"Usually when people are in custody, people will feel that they can come forward with key pieces of information," Silva said.
Police believe Moreno has ties to the Stockton area but don't know if he lived here. There is a cash reward for additional information in this case up to $10,000.