Suspect arrested on manslaughter charge in connection to Green Valley Road shooting

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) Watsonville police said they have arrested a suspect in connection to a shooting on S. Green Valley Road that left one person dead.

Police said the suspect, identified as 19-year-old Ricardo Garcia, was arrested on Freedom Boulevard Friday. They said he is a known gang member.

Investigators believe the 30-year-old victim was driving a vehicle on Jan. 7 and Garcia was intoxicated in the backseat of the car. They said he was playing with a gun and fired it, shooting the driver. After that, he left the area and the victim died from a gunshot wound to his upper torso at the scene.

Driver killed in Watsonville shooting on S. Green Valley Road

That night, police said Garcia returned to the scene after hiding in a mobile home park nearby. He was arrested for being drunk in public and later identified as the suspect.

Garcia is booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on involuntary manslaughter with gun enhancement and being a prohibited person with a gun charges.