Juvenile arrested in connection with shooting death at Merced residence, police say

A juvenile has been arrested in connection with a homicide after a man was found shot to death at a Merced residence over the weekend, according to authorities.

At about 3:41 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence in the 1700 block of Conestoga Drive, according to Merced Police Sgt. Jeremy Salyers. When officer arrived on scene they located a 41-year-old man with a gunshot wound inside the home.

Due to the injuries he sustained, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Salyers said there were multiple other people inside the residence at the time of the shooting and investigators were able to identify a 14-year-old male as a possible suspect.

“We were able to locate him yesterday in San Jose at a motel and he was arrested and booked into juvenile hall,” Salyers said. According to police, the juvenile was booked into the Iris Garrettt Juvenile Justice Correctional Complex on suspicion of homicide.

Police said the victim did not live at the residence and at this time it is unclear why he was there. Salyers said there appeared to be two other adults and one juvenile inside the residence at the time of the shooting and no other arrests have been made.

Authorities said at this time it appears the disturbance may have been related to an argument over money related to narcotics and the possible prostitution of an adult female inside the residence. According to Salyers, investigators have not located a weapon involved in the shooting and the incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Matthew Calcagno at 209-388-7718 or calcagnom@cityofmerced.org.