A Stockton man who authorities say is suspected in the Saturday night shooting death of his wife was arrested Sunday morning in San Diego County.
The man was wanted in connection with a fatal shooting at a party that left a Stockton woman dead, according to officials with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of B Street in Stockton, sheriff’s officials said. When deputies arrived, they found a woman with a gunshot wound and took her to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.
The San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday identified the woman as Claudia Contreras, 44, a Stockton resident.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the shooting appeared to be accidental and that the suspect had fled the scene, according to CBS News reports.
After an advisory was made to other law enforcement agencies, San Diego police officers spotted a vehicle — a red Ford Explorer — that authorities said was connected to the suspected gunman.
They conducted a “hot stop” in the 1900 block of Dairy Mart Road in San Diego about 8 a.m. Sunday, according to Onscene.Media.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was taken into custody at gunpoint without incident. Authorities had said he was believed to have been armed with a handgun. However, no weapons were found in the vehicle, police said.
He was thought to have been on his way to Mexico at the time, authorities said.