Loved ones mourn woman slain in Ceres. ‘We weren’t prepared for such a tragedy.’
The woman fatally shot in south Ceres last week was identified as Yessica Mendoza, 29, of Patterson.
The Ceres Police Department provided the name and hometown in a Tuesday morning news release. A previous report based on a family Facebook post said the victim’s name was Yessica Mendoza Romero.
The man arrested in the shooting is Daniel Gracia Mendoza, 29, of Ceres, the father of the victim’s children. He was initially identified by police as Daniel Garcia.
The defendant is scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon arraignment on a first-degree murder charge in Stanislaus Superior Court.
He also is accused of corporal injury to a spouse, violation of a court order in a domestic violence case, and being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. Court records show a 2018 conviction for corporal injury to a spouse and a 2019 conviction for assault.
Daniel Gracia Mendoza has been in Stanislaus County Jail without bail since his arrest at the scene of the shooting.
It happened Thursday night on the 3900 block of Suncrest Drive, police said last week.
GoFundMe appeal for family
Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the victim’s family.
“On August 13 @ 9:17, our beloved daughter, mother, sister was taken from us,” the appeal said. “The father of her children shot her and took her life. Yessica was only 29 and leaves 3 children behind. We weren’t prepared for such a tragedy. We need all the help we can get to give her a proper burial and lay her body to rest. Thank you and God bless #domestic#violence#victim.”
Police have not released details on the status of the relationship between Romero, nor on what led to the shooting.
Call came from friend’s wife
The call to police came from a woman reporting that her husband’s friend had just shot a woman, the initial news release said.
The victim and suspect were both found next to the driveway of a home where the suspect had been staying with friends, police said. It is just northwest of the intersection of Service and Blaker roads.
The woman had gunshot wounds to her upper body, and a small-caliber pistol was found close to her, the release said.
Emergency workers treated the victim at the scene and took her to a local hospital, where she died, police said.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
