Five arrested in three October shootings in Modesto that left two dead

Modesto Police have arrested five people in connection with two homicides and an attempted homicide that occurred in October.

All of the cases — all of which were shootings — were related to gang activity and drugs, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear. All five suspects are members or associates of the Norteno street gang, she said.

The first suspect arrested by Modesto Police on Monday afternoon, 19-year-old Stephen Tisdale, is believed to be the shooter in all three cases.

He was first booked on suspicion of attempted murder for an Oct. 9 shooting on El Pasado Avenue in southeast Modesto.

Tisdale allegedly shot a man on a bicycle during a drive-by over a dispute involving a drug debt, Bear said.

Tisdale was identified as the shooter several weeks after the shooting and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was arrested by Ceres Police on Monday after being pulled over for a traffic violation on Central Avenue. He was later rebooked on charges related to the October deaths of 37-year-old James Chisum and 58-year-old Sameer Sogol.

Chisum was shot inside a home in the the 400 block of Donegal Drive, northeast of Yosemite Boulevard and El Vista Avenue, on Oct. 21. There was a young child in the home at the time of the shooting, Bear said.

Sogol was robbed and shot inside his garage in the 3700 block of Coffee Road on Halloween night.

Tisdale was booked on suspicion of two counts of murder, attempted murder, criminal street gang activity and willful harm or injury to a child.

After Tisdale’s arrest, four other suspects who were under surveillance by detectives, were arrested during the 9 p.m. hour Monday.

Pedro Araiza, 19, was arrested during a traffic stop on Yosemite Boulevard and Rodrigo Gomez, 31, was arrested during a traffic stop on Sonora Avenue in south Modesto. Bear said they were allegedly involved in Sogol’s shooting.

Araiza was booked on suspicion of murder, criminal street gang activity, being a convicted felon in association with a street gang and home invasion robbery. Gomez was booked on suspicion of murder, being a convicted felon in association with a street gang, home invasion robbery and firearm enhancements.

Raymond Zavala, 22, and Mariah Silva, 26, were arrested at a home in the 1700 block of Pelton Avenue in west Modesto. They are suspected in Chisum’s killing.

Zavala was booked on suspicion of murder, criminal street gang activity with enhancements, firearm enhancements and willful harm or injury to a child. Silva was booked on suspicion of murder and being a convicted felon in association with a street gang.

During the course of this investigation, it was discovered that the suspects in these cases were involved in two additional cases that occurred in the county, according to a press release from Modesto Police.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department could not immediately be reached for comment about those investigations.

This story was originally published December 11, 2018 at 1:29 PM.