Two Arrested For 2019 Woodland Shooting That Killed 16-Year-Old
WOODLAND (CBS13) – Two arrests have been made in connection to a 2019 Woodland shooting that killed a 16-year-old and injured two others, police said on Friday.
Francisco Ponce, 22, was booked into the Yolo County Jail for a murder charge, weapons violations, and gang enhancements. Joseph Gonzalez, 26, was already at a state prison in central California when he was identified as a second suspect and transferred to the Yolo County Jail on charges related to the homicide.
The shooting happened during the evening of October 21, 2019, in the area of East and North Streets. The 16-year-old was found dead and the two surviving victims were taken to the hospital for gunshot wounds described as non-life-threatening.
According to the Woodland Police Department, its gang investigators and detectives worked with surrounding law enforcement agencies since the day of the shooting to identify the suspects.
"Gang related crimes including homicides are some of the hardest crimes for law enforcement to investigate," Woodland police said in a news release. "Many times, it is very hard to find cooperative witnesses and surviving victims are unwilling to give details related to these crimes."
Ponce was pulled over and arrested on April 6. Gonzalez was transferred to Yolo County on Thursday. He was arraigned Friday.
"It is our hope that the arrest and subsequent arraignment of Ponce and Gonzalez sends a very clear message to those who intend to bring violence and gang activity to Woodland that while these crimes are sometimes hard to solve, we will not give up until they are," Woodland police said.
