The suspect in the July 22 murder of a 21-year-old man at Sobrato Transitional Apartments on Monterey Street was arrested Monday in San Ysidro, Calif.
Fernando Minero, 24 of Gilroy, was arrested by United States Customs when he attempted to cross the border into California via Tijuana, according to Gilroy Police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao.
Minero remains in San Ysidro as of Tuesday morning, as law enforcement arrange for his transport to Gilroy.
Gallacinao gave no other details of the arrest.
Steve Lowney, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said that Minero will be charged with manslaughter instead of homicide.
Lowney believes that Rojas and Minero were drinking and “socializing” with a few other people in apartment 202 at the Sobrato Transitional Apartments July 22 when the evening got out of hand, leading to Rojas getting shot once in the neck. Details of how and why Rojas was shot remain clouded, but Lowney did say that Minero drove Rojas to the hospital, where he was admitted at 8:30 p.m.
“This really tells you why it was charged the way it is,” Lowney said of the suspect driving the victim to the hospital. Lowney said it is unclear if Minero stayed at the hospital when Rojas died.
Police believe the shooting was not gang-related.
