Stanislaus sheriff’s homicide detectives piecing together details in deadly shooting
Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies found two young men with gunshot wounds, one of them dead, at a home in an unincorporated neighborhood between Modesto and Ceres. Homicide detectives on Monday were piecing together information to find out what exactly happened.
The incident initially was reported as an accidental shooting about 2:25 a.m. Saturday at a home in the 800 block of Sonora Avenue, two blocks east of Highway 99 and several blocks south of the Tuolumne River. The two Modesto men hit by gunfire were found at the home.
Sgt. Tom Letras, a sheriff’s spokesman, said Noel Savala, 23, called 911 and reported an accidental shooting. Deputies arrived at the Sonora Avenue home and found Savala, who went out to meet them.
Letras said Savala had suffered a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. Savala was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was treated.
The deputies, who initially thought there was only one person shot, went into the home and found Michael Monds dead. The 21-year-old man suffered what appeared to be a single gunshot wound, Letras said.
Only Monds and Savala were at the home when deputies arrived early Saturday. Letras said Savala told investigators that Monds accidentally fired a gun, wounding both men.
When asked whether there was any indication that the two men might have fired guns at each other, Letras said, “Detectives are still trying to determine what occurred.”
In these types of shooting cases, authorities can analyze gunshot residue to determine who fired a gun, Letras said. Detectives on Monday were looking for anyone else who might have been at the home when the shooting occurred.
No arrests had been made. Letras said detectives will continue to investigate this shooting as a homicide until they can determine how exactly it occurred.
Monds’ mother, Dawn Maki, and his stepfather, Kenneth Milam, on Monday afternoon were waiting to get more information from investigators. They said they did not know where Monds had been that night or what might have led to the shooting.
“My son had a big heart,” Monds’ mother said.
Sheriff’s officials ask anyone with information about Saturday’s shooting to call Detective K. Sulkowski at 209-525-7032 or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can send an email through the Crime Stoppers website, stancrimetips.com. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
This story was originally published December 24, 2018 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Stanislaus sheriff’s homicide detectives piecing together details in deadly shooting."