Witnesses won't ID shooter in Empire killing

Within hours of a gang-related killing in Empire over the weekend, Stanislaus County sheriff's detectives said they knew what motivated the shooting and interviewed people they believe can identify the suspect.

They found a link between Saturday's homicide and one that occurred on the other side of town last year.

But no one is talking, said Detective Mario Moreno.

Gabriel Estrada, 21, of Empire was gunned down Saturday afternoon at First and G streets near Empire Elementary school. Witnesses saw four people running from the scene.

In September, two teenagers were shot while riding in a car on Inland Avenue. The vehicle crashed about a block from the shooting and two 17-year-old boys ran from it, leaving behind a 16-year-old boy from Riverbank who died in the car.

The three men in the car had come across a dropout Norteño and intended to harm him, but the dropout reacted first and opened fire on the car, according to Detective Cory Brown.

The shooter, whose name is being withheld by detectives, is Estrada's cousin, authorities said.

While the September case remains open, the district attorney's office has not filed charges against the suspected shooter but his house has been shot at multiple times since the homicide.

Estrada's death, detectives believe, was retaliatory because he wouldn't stop associating with his cousin.

Brown said several of Estrada's family members were at Saturday's shooting scene, but they refused to come forward and identify the shooters because they are active Norteño gang members.

Moreno said gang violence generally occurs between rival gangs, but gang members use violence against each other to dissuade people from dropping out.

"The Norteños are regulating all their dropouts," Moreno said. "What empowers them is fear and intimidation. They are emboldened by the fact that nobody talks."

By not punishing dropouts, gangs believe they send a message that the gang is weak and lacks control over its members, Moreno said.

While detectives are working on active leads in both cases, no one has been arrested in connection with Saturday's homicide.

When witnesses refuse to talk, detectives are limited in what action they can take and the violence is perpetuated, Moreno said.

Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at etracy@modbee.com or (209) 578-2366.