Authorities have arrested two men in connection with the shooting death of a south Stockton street vendor.
Angelo Smith, 22, and James Cortez, 19, were arrested earlier this week on charges of robbery and homicide, Stockton Police officials said in a press release posted on social media Friday.
Both men are being held in county jail and have court dates scheduled for later this month.
In May, Stockton police officers found 60-year-old street vendor Ignacio Garcia with a gunshot wound in the 1600 block of South California Street, authorities said at the time. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery and later died, police said.
Police said the shooting occurred at about 8:50 p.m. on May 16 when two men approached Garcia, a push-cart vendor.
Garcia became involved in an altercation with the men, authorities said. One fired a shot that struck Garcia in the hip. The two then grabbed some “property” — police did not say at the time whether it was cash or something else — and fled in a vehicle.
There appeared “to be a possible disturbance that translated to a possible robbery,” Stockton Police spokesperson Omer Edhah told Stocktonia Friday. He said it’s not clear if the victim and suspects knew each other prior to the incident.
A cash reward was offered at the time for information leading to the identification of the two masked robbers. The reward was not paid out, Edhah said.
Mayor Christina Fugazi said following Garcia’s death that he was known as “a kind, humble and hardworking man — a husband and father who dedicated himself to providing for his family.”
“His death is a devastating reminder of the violence that too many in our city face,” Fugazi said in a statement. “This heinous act has not only shaken a neighborhood, but it has impacted all of Stockton.”
This isn’t Smith or Cortez’s first run-in with the law. Online jail records show Smith was on parole at the time of his arrest, and Cortez previously faced felony charges in another case in Stanislaus County.
Smith, who was arrested on Thursday, is being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail, according to online jail records. He is facing a slew of charges, jail records show, including felony murder and robbery. SJ County Sheriff’s Office’s online records show Smith is scheduled for court in Stockton at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
At some point following his arrest Wednesday by Stockton police, SJ County Jail personnel said Cortez was transferred into the custody of Modesto police and taken to Stanislaus County Jail, where online jail records show he is also being held without bail.
Cortez is facing homicide related charges in relation to the death of Garcia, according to Edhah. Jail records show Cortez was arraigned Friday and is due back in court on July 17.
“I believe he’s in the Stanislaus County jail for another case,” Edhah said.
Modesto police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why Cortez was transferred into their custody.
Police said the investigation into Garcia’s death is ongoing.
“We’ll continue to look into the case,” Edhah said. “Maybe conduct further interviews and things to build that up.”
