Six years after deadly shooting detectives arrest two suspects, two more at large
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s detectives have identified four suspects and arrested two of them in connection with the 2011 slaying of a man who was on double date with his girlfriend.
Samuel Gallardo, 22, was gunned down Nov. 26, 2011, at a taco truck in front of the El Paraiso bar in the 1500 block of Crows Landing Road in south Modesto.
He, his girlfriend and another couple were headed to the bar but first stopped at the taco trucks in the parking lot. They had just sat down to eat at one of the picnic benches when a car full of men pulled into the parking lot.
A group of four or five men got out of the car and began fighting with Gallardo. The fight escalated and, within minutes, Gallardo had been shot.
About 3 p.m. on June 18, sheriff’s deputies found Jorge Delatorre, 26, at his home in the 400 block of Harriet Drive in Waterford. De la Torre was arrested on suspicion of murder, criminal conspiracy and participating in a criminal street gang.
Delatorre made his first court appearance on June 20. His arraignment has been postponed a few times since then. He remains in custody at the county jail and is scheduled to return to court July 25.
About 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, sheriff’s detectives found Hector Daniel Mendoza, 28, at his job in Riverbank. Mendoza was arrested on suspicion of murder and criminal conspiracy. Mendoza also is being held at the jail. His arraignment has not been scheduled.
Investigators on Thursday afternoon were still looking for Tony Macias, 24, and Tomas Solorio, 27, said sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Bejaran.
From the early part of the investigation, detectives were looking for suspects described as Latino men about 18 to 25 years old, and it appeared the shooting was gang-related. Bejaran said detectives over the past six years have continued to follow investigative leads and identified the four men as suspects in Gallardo’s shooting death.
Investigators ask anyone with information about the whereabouts of Macias or Solorio or the murder investigation to call sheriff’s Detective Cory Brown at (209) 567-4485 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can email through the Crime Stoppers website, www.stancrimetips.org,or text tips to CRIMES (274637) by typing “Tip704” plus a message. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward.
Erin Tracy: 209-578-2366, @ModestoBeeCrime
This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Six years after deadly shooting detectives arrest two suspects, two more at large."