Man fatally shot outside Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall

Angelaydet Rocha, The Record
·2 min read

A man was fatally shot late Thursday morning outside of the Pacific Avenue Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall in Stockton.

“So right before 11 a.m. officers responded to a report of a shooting outside of a business in the 5300 block of Pacific Avenue,” Officer Joseph Silva, a Stockton police spokesperson, said.

Officers located a 23-year-old man who had been shot, Silva said. He was pronounced dead by medics at the scene.

A witness, who did not want to be identified because of safety concerns, said they noticed two men arguing outside of the Golden 1 Credit Union.

“It was two guys, the shooter and then the person who died,” the witness said.

The witness said the suspect was trying to provoke the victim to get into a fight and that they don’t think the suspect and victim knew each other.

“The person who was shot was like, trying to defuse the situation. He wasn't arguing back, he was taking all the hits and the blows that he was giving him,” the witness said.

A Stockton Police investigate a homicide scene outside of the Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall in Stockton. Before 11 a.m. police received a report of a shooting outside of the credit union. Officers located a man who had been shot and medics declared him dead at the scene.
A Stockton Police investigate a homicide scene outside of the Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall in Stockton. Before 11 a.m. police received a report of a shooting outside of the credit union. Officers located a man who had been shot and medics declared him dead at the scene.

The witness said they were inside the bank when they heard 5 to 7 shots fired.

“The shots honestly weren't as loud as anyone expected," the witness said. "Nobody really knew it was gunshots. I thought he was banging on the wall the other people thought it was a staple gun from the construction.

"It was just crazy.”

The witness said everything lasted for about 15 minutes.

The witness described the shooter as shirtless, wearing jeans and a black durag, carrying a backpack and to be “little bit more on the heavy side,” and appeared to be younger than the victim.

A Stockton Police evidence technician photographs the scene of a homicide outside of the Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall in Stockton. Before 11 a.m. police received a report of a shooting outside of the credit union. Officers located a man who had been shot and medics declared him dead at the scene.
A Stockton Police evidence technician photographs the scene of a homicide outside of the Golden 1 Credit Union at Sherwood Mall in Stockton. Before 11 a.m. police received a report of a shooting outside of the credit union. Officers located a man who had been shot and medics declared him dead at the scene.

“It's just sad. Mostly just because, you know, there's already a lot of crime everywhere and to see it firsthand it's just, it's sad ... it's traumatizing. It's like it's, it's surreal honestly,” the witness said. “It took a lot like when the gunshots first went off. It took my mind like a little bit to catch up. Even after I heard it, I was kind of in shock.”

Northbound Pacific Avenue was closed for part of the day while Stockton Police investigated and traffic reopened about 4 p.m.

The Stockton Police Department encourages the public to share any information regarding this case with the Investigations Division at (209) 937-8323 or to contact the non-emergency number at (209) 937-8377.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by using the Stockton Crime Stoppers website at stocktoncrimestoppers.org.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Man shot, killed outside Stockton Golden 1 Credit Union