Homicide might have been gun play
Tip leads to arrest of friend of the victim
A Stockton police evidence technician photographs a murder scene Tuesday at a north Stockton duplex.CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record
February 20, 2013 12:00 AM
STOCKTON - A 21-year-old Stockton resident was shot to death Monday, presumably accidentally, by his 19-year-old friend, who fled the scene and was arrested a short time later, police reported Tuesday.
Alexander Centeno, identified by the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office as the victim and who turned 21 on Jan. 16, was shot inside his duplex residence in the 5400 block of Holiday Drive about 11:50 p.m. Monday, police reported.
A neighbor reported hearing one "pop" followed by squealing tires, as if a vehicle was leaving the area in a hurry.
"I went to the window. I saw two occupants loading a third occupant into a car, then they took off up the street (northbound). They made a U-turn and came back down," said Aaron Foster, 42, who described himself as a lifelong "off and on" resident of the neighborhood.
Police confirmed that friends of Centeno drove him to the Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building about a mile north on West Lane in the belief they could seek medical treatment for him. However, the large clinic - which does not provide emergency care - was closed at the late hour. Centeno's friends then called for help, and Centeno was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police reported.
Meanwhile, police were directed to a home in the 6100 block of Alturas Avenue near the Emil Seifert Recreation Center, where they caught up with the suspect and arrested him without incident. Andrew Torres of Stockton has been booked at San Joaquin County Jail on suspicion of murder.
Near where they arrested Torres, police said they recovered the handgun they believe he "negligently discharged" inside the Holiday Drive residence while visiting Centeno. The two were described by police as friends.
"This is the exact reason why people should not play around with guns," police spokesman Officer Joe Silva said. "The end result in this case ended in a tragedy, because they both knew each other."
Police learned of Torres' whereabouts after he fled because of a phone tip called in by residents of the Alturas Avenue home, according to Silva.
Foster, the neighbor, believed some type of illegal activity was going on in the victim's unkempt residence for some time.
"From what I know, they were dealing pot. They had a lot of traffic off and on. I started to fear they were doing more than weed," Foster said.
He described all types of people - from kids to middle-aged working men and women to "lawyer types" - going in and out of the duplex residence at all hours. Foster said the busiest time of day he observed was around 5 p.m. Fridays, when as many as six cars would be backed up down the street. He said he made reports to the police.
According to Silva, "a search of the residence revealed a small amount of narcotics being found," but he would not elaborate while the investigation is ongoing.
Other than Centeno's home, Foster described the neighborhood as one where many longtime residents are well connected to one another.
"We're finally getting an influx of new school-age kids now," he said. "But it's had its share of characters."
Foster said burglaries and gunfire were not so much a problem as motorists driving under the influence down Holiday Drive.
Silva credited the public's cooperation with helping police make a quick arrest of the suspect.
Centeno's death is Stockton's second murder of 2013. By this time last year, there were seven murders reported in the city.
Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or jgoldeen@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/goldeenblog.
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