A third suspect was behind bars Friday on suspicion of taking part in a gang-related killing in Encanto almost 15 years ago.
Christopher Aranda, 37, was arrested in Arizona on Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Alexander Ceballos of Imperial Beach, according to San Diego police.
Early on the evening of Jan. 28, 2001, Ceballos and friend Edgar Morgado visited a woman at a home on Merlin Drive, near 60th Street, Lt. Paul Rorrison said. As Morgado was talking to the woman, her ex-boyfriend arrived, confronted Morgado and got into an argument with him.
Morgado decided to leave and was walking back to Ceballos’ car when two youths standing nearby shouted out a gang name, according to police reports. Morgado turned and asked the pair — who appeared to be teenagers — what they had said.
One replied, “This is what’s up,” and started shooting, according to police.
Morgado jumped into the car, wounded. Ceballos tried to drive away but was struck by gunfire and lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into a nearby building.
Ceballos died at a hospital three days later. Morgado survived his injuries.
Police were unable to identify any suspects in the killing until recently, when cold case detectives uncovered evidence linking Enrique Palomino, 37, and Jose Samaniego, 32, to the shooting. They have been arrested and charged with murder in the case.
Aranda has been extradited from Phoenix and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the homicide case on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities have declined to disclose what led them to identify Aranda, Palomino and Samaniego as suspects in the slaying of Ceballos.
— City News Service
