CERES -- Investigators have arrested three Modesto men in connection with a Monday evening shooting of a woman who apparently became the unintended target after she walked into the middle of a heated dispute outside a Morgan Road home.
The 29-year-old woman was shot just below her left collarbone and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where she was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, said Ceres police Sgt. Jose Berber.
Miguel Amaya, 29, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Saul Amaya, 27, and Juan Corrilo, 18, were arrested on suspicion of being an accessory in the crime. It’s unclear if Miguel and Saul Amaya are related; that information was not available.
The three suspects were being held Tuesday afternoon at the Stanislaus County Jail. Miguel Amaya’s bail was set at $500,000, and the bail was set at $25,000 each for the other two men.
Berber said investigators have learned the shooting stemmed from a feud between Miguel Amaya and a man who lives at the home in the 2500 block of Morgan Road, near East Whitmore Avenue and less than a mile west of Highway 99.
Earlier Monday, Miguel Amaya spotted the man at a business on Hatch Road. Berber said Miguel Amaya followed the man to the Morgan Road home, where an argument ensued. He said Miguel Amaya was joined by Saul Amaya and Corrilo.
The woman was inside the home and heard the argument had become heated outside. Berber said she walked outside when Miguel Amaya fired a .40 caliber handgun several times.
About 5:15 p.m., Ceres police received reports of the shooting. Officers arrived and found the injured woman.
Berber said investigators searched outside the home and found shell casings and several bullet holes on the home. He said some of the bullet holes were from a prior drive-by shooting, and Monday’s shooting was the third weapons-related incident reported at this home in the past two years.
Berber said the investigators spoke with witnesses and followed tips to an apartment in the 2900 block of Third Street in Ceres, just south of the Police Department.
About 8 p.m., the three suspects were spotted leaving the apartment and taken into custody. The department’s Special Weapons and Tactics team then served a search warrant at the apartment, but investigators did not find any evidence connected to the shooting.
Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to call Detective Derek Perry at (209) 538-5730 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters also can e-mail tips through the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.stancrimetips.org, or text tips to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus your message. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward.
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or (209) 578-2394.
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