STOCKTON, Calif. — A man is charged with murder after a fatal shooting last week in Stockton's Spanos Park West neighborhood, according to a Stockton Police Department Facebook post.
Investigators say Jing Zhi Chen, 59, shot and killed a 50-year-old man in the 5400-block of Cosumnes Drive around 10 a.m. Friday.
Officials tell ABC10 an argument led to the homicide, which occurred near a park just feet away from houses.
Chen was arrested Tuesday after a four-day search by Stockton Police officers and booked into San Joaquin County Jail on a murder charge.
Chen is expected to appear in San Joaquin County Superior Court Thursday afternoon, jail records show.
The 50-year-old man allegedly shot and killed by Chen was identified as Yuan Fu.
STOCKTON CRIME IN CONTEXT
An increase in homicide cases in Stockton during the early months of 2022 came on the heels of a decline in 2021, where police reported fewer homicides ending the year with a total of 38 cases.
While that’s not the lowest number the department has dealt with in the past 12 years, it is below the annual average of 40 homicide cases per year since 1995.
In response to the rise in homicides, community groups held prayer vigils and outreach events meant to unite Stockton residents against violence.
Activists have called on the community to show up to such events and work with local organizations such as Advance Peace, Faith in the Valley, Lighthouse of the Valley and the Office of Violence Prevention to discourage crime and help impacted communities heal.
Click here for a map of crime statistics.
In an interview with ABC10 in March, Stockton City Manager Harry Black said the Stockton Police Department is trying to prevent more deaths by working more on intelligence gathering and cooperating with federal partners such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshall's Service.
The city is also working to improve its crime prevention, intervention and fighting strategy, Black said. Representatives with the city's Office of Violence Prevention are working to be more present in communities impacted by crime. The office's 'peacekeepers program' places mediators and mentors in high-crime areas.
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