Update, Oct. 28: Prosecutors have charged the two suspects arrested earlier this week as part of the investigation into a deadly shooting near UC Berkeley.
Berkeley police Detective Jennifer Wilson wrote in court documents that 23-year-old Michael Monrroy-Ramos and 24-year-old Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo had been “involved in a brief physical confrontation” with a group that included divinity student Isamaeli Mata’afa just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 8. As the group walked away, near the intersection of Telegraph and Durant avenues, police allege that both Monrroy-Ramos and Gutierrez-Rebollo opened fire, fatally wounding Mata’afa and injuring the three others he was with.
Alameda County prosecutors charged both of the men with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Police identified them as suspects through statements and video surveillance footage, according to Wilson.
Police say a third suspect, a Union City woman, drove Monrroy-Ramos from the shooting scene and later worked with him and Gutierrez-Rebollo to conceal evidence. Prosecutors have filed accessory and gun possession charges against the woman, saying they found 12 guns at the home she shared with Monrroy-Ramos, some of which were “ghost guns” and one of which had been reported stolen.
Original story, Oct. 27: Police have arrested three suspects in the shooting that killed a man and wounded three others at a busy intersection near UC Berkeley earlier this month.
Berkeley police say Michael Monrroy-Ramos, 23, and Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo, 24, both opened fire on a group of men at the corner of Telegraph and Durant avenues just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 8.
Isamaeli Mata’afa, a 29-year-old Pacific School of Religion student, was killed. Three others Mata’afa was with were wounded, and the gunfire sent students and others in the popular area fleeing for safety.
According to Berkeley police, Mata’afa’s group had been walking to their car when Monrroy-Ramos and Gutierrez-Rebollo approached them and started a fight, then began shooting.
Authorities arrested the men on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. They also arrested a Union City woman on a tentative accessory charge.
Authorities announced the arrests in a news release Thursday; they were first reported by the Berkeley Scanner.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case. Jail records indicate the three suspects are being held without bail ahead of an arraignment hearing Friday morning.
Officer Byron White, a spokesman for Berkeley police, declined to comment on how authorities identified the men as suspects in the shooting, or how they believed the Union City woman was involved.
Police also said they found “ghost guns,” untraceable firearms without serial numbers, while making the arrests in Oakland and Union City, and included a photo of a dozen firearms they seized.
