On the night of March 28, 2024, at approximately 10:54 p.m., San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers responded to reports of a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of 60th Street and Michael Street in the Oak Park neighborhood. Upon arrival, they discovered a car that had crashed into a fence, with 25-year-old Andres Dominguez of Poway unresponsive in the driver's seat. After removing him from the vehicle, officers found that Dominguez had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body.
Despite immediate medical attention and transportation to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead at 11:42 p.m.
Initial investigations by the SDPD Homicide Unit revealed that prior to the crash, Dominguez had been involved in a verbal altercation with two individuals in the vicinity. During this confrontation, he was shot and subsequently drove a short distance before colliding with the fence. The suspects fled the scene, and early descriptions were limited, identifying them only as possibly Hispanic males.
Over the following months, detectives conducted a thorough investigation, uncovering that the shooting occurred during a failed robbery attempt. This led to the identification of three suspects: 18-year-old Brayan Morales, 19-year-old Arlene Zaragoza, and a 16-year-old male whose name was withheld due to his age. On July 2, 2024, authorities arrested Morales in the 3100 block of Camino Del Rio North around 5 p.m., and Zaragoza approximately two hours later in the 4000 block of Home Avenue. The juvenile suspect was already in custody at San Diego County Juvenile Hall on unrelated charges. All three were charged with murder and attempted robbery.
The arrests provided some measure of closure to the community and Dominguez's family, who had been seeking justice for the senseless act of violence. The SDPD continued to encourage anyone with additional information about the case to come forward, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in solving such crimes.
