Detectives asking for help on Modesto taco truck shooting

Samuel Gallardo was gunned down in front of a popular south Modesto bar at a peak hour on a Saturday night.

Dozens of people patronized the bar the evening of Nov. 26, and several were in the parking lot when Gallardo was shot.

No one came forward.

“We can’t solve crimes without people coming forward and assisting in the investigation,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Detective Jon McQueary said.

Gallardo, 22, was on a double date with his girlfriend and another couple. They had just come from the Midway Club in Ceres and were headed to El Paraiso to go dancing. The group first stopped at one of the taco trucks in front of the bar for a late-night snack around midnight, according to McQueary.

The two couples 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 three to six men exited the car, approached the picnic table and began physically fighting with Gallardo.

McQueary said Gallardo was an inactive Norteño gang member and believes the shooting was motivated by gang involvement. Just as quickly as the fist fight began, Gallardo had been shot by one of the suspects.

He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

There were about 60 cars in the bar’s parking lot and at least five people were outside at the time of the shooting apart from Gallardo’s girlfriend and two friends, McQueary said.

But when police arrived, witnesses disappeared or claimed to not have seen anything.

“People just don’t want to get involved,” McQueary said.

He said witnesses stay silent for a variety of reasons including, fear of retaliation, unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement, or simply the notion that they don’t have information relevant to the case.

But McQueary said a person needn’t witness the actual crime to provide useful information. In the case of Gallardo, someone might have seen the suspects’ car or heard something useful on the street.

“If you want to make this a better community you have to come forward," McQueary said.

Anyone with information about this case can contact McQueary at (209) 525-7099. Callers can also leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636.

2011 STANISLAUS COUNTY HOMICIDES (click on pin for case)

This story was originally published December 12, 2011 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Detectives asking for help on Modesto taco truck shooting."