2 Men Sought In East Palo Alto Homicides; Link To Colorado Crimes
EAST PALO ALTO (KCBS) – Police believe three suspects in two fatal gang-related shootings in East Palo Alto earlier this month might also have been involved in a killing and several robberies in Colorado.
Police released the suspects' names at a news conference Monday, along with a timeline of the crimes they are believed to have committed starting July 13, when a Menlo Park woman was shot and killed while sitting in a car in East Palo Alto.
The suspects are Christian Fuentes, 20, who is currently in custody in Alameda County; Jaime Cardenas, 19; and Fidel Silva, 20.
Cardenas and Silva were at large and are being sought by police. All three are East Palo Alto residents.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
On July 13, 19-year-old Catherine Fisher was shot and killed while sitting in a parked car on Annapolis Street. And on July 19, 26-year-old Hugo Chavez was gunned down in the city.
"We believe that a member or members of this trio committed both murders in East Palo Alto as part of a violent crime spree that spans from East Palo Alto to Grand Junction, Colorado," said East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis.
The crimes in Colorado include a triple shooting, homicide, two robberies and a burglary.
Chief Davis is canceling days off to get more officers on the street. He said that all the shootings appear to be gang-related and possibly drug-related as well.
The two murders are just part of what has been a violent 2011 for the city, especially over the last month. Twenty-three year old Jabari Banford was also shot and killed on July 19. And a 3-month-old infant was caught in the crossfire and shot and killed in early June.
A 19-year-old was shot and killed on Sunday night in a parking lot on the 1400 block of East Bayshore Road.
So far, there have been six homicides in East Palo Alto in 2011, with five coming since June.
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