Chaz Bettencourt, 21, was shot and killed after an altercation outside the am-pm minimarket at Patterson and Oakdale roads in Riverbank, California, on the night of August 5, 2010. He and a friend had stopped at the store around 12:40 a.m. When confronted by three individuals as they were leaving, Chaz was struck by multiple gunshots. Deputies and Modesto police officers provided lifesaving measures and transported him to a Modesto hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Chaz had completed a substance abuse recovery program and had maintained two years of sobriety; he aspired to become a counselor and help others battling addiction. Detectives reviewed store surveillance, followed numerous leads, and identified two of the three suspects as 14-year-old Turlock Diaz and 18-year-old Daniel Pantoja. Both were described as gang-affiliated, though the shooting was not deemed gang-related. Search warrants were executed at their homes, and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s S.W.A.T. Team was used in the searches. Photographs were released to the public and both suspects were eventually apprehended in Redding, California.

The community has memorialized Chaz with a dedicated tree and plaque. If anyone knew Chaz or has information about that night, please share what you know.