Valley 15-year-old arrested on suspicion of murdering Fresno man in Pismo Beach
A 15-year-old Hanford boy suspected of fatally shooting a Fresno man was in custody after a months-long investigation, the Pismo Beach Police Department announced Thursday.
The incident happened near the Pismo Beach Pier promenade area at around 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 18 when the police department got several 911 calls regarding a shooting, according to a news release.
After arriving to the crime scene, police officers found 41-year-old Gustavo Aquino, of Fresno, with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, according to police.
During their investigation, police found that just before he was shot, Aquino had been approached by a man and two teens in the downtown area of Pismo.
The man was identified by police as 19-year-old Daniel Jacob Santillana, while the other two were not identified because they were under 18, according to police.
The three were believed to be associated with a criminal street gang in Hanford, police wrote in the news release.
Santillana, the two boys and Aquino got into a verbal altercation, during which one of the unidentified boys went to their car and took out a firearm, the release said.
The 15-year-old boy then shot at Aquino three times, police said.
Santillana and the two boys fled the area in a car along with 19-year-old Anthony Robert Hernandez, of Delano, and two unidentified girls, according to police. The car was driven by Hernandez, police said in the release.
Pismo Beach police partnered with San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office investigators, Kings County Major Crimes Unit, Hanford Police Department, Lemoore Police Department, Delano Police Department and Kern County District Attorney’s Office investigators to serve about 30 search warrants and investigate the incident.
Four suspects in jail following Pismo Beach shooting
The 15-year-old shooting suspect was found to be on active probation in Kings County and a probation violation warrant had previously been issued, according to the Thursday news release.
The boy was arrested by Hanford police May 19 on suspicion of unrelated charges and the probation violation, police said.
He remained in Kings County Juvenile Center as of Thursday, but was expected to be transferred to the San Luis Obispo County Jail with no bail, according to the news release.
The second unidentified boy was also found to be on active probation and reported as a runaway, the release said. He was arrested by Corcoran Police Department officers May 26 on unrelated charges and his probation violation.
He also remained in King County Juvenile Center as of Thursday, police said.
On Thursday morning, Hernandez was arrested and booked into the Kern County Jail on suspicion of accessory to the commission of a felony. His bail was set at $20,000, according to the news release.
Santillana was already in custody at the Kings County Sheriff’s Office Jail for an unrelated arrest before police said they determined he was involved in the Pismo killing.
He was expected to be transferred to San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm and commission of a felony in association with a street gang, the release said. His bail was set at at $90,000.
The investigation into the incident remained open as of Thursday. Officers did not expect to make any additional arrests, according to Pismo Beach police.
