Sheriff names alleged gang members arrested in south Sacramento shooting that killed bystander

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office identified the two men arrested on suspicion of killing one man and injuring two others in a south Sacramento shooting earlier this month.

Luis Camarillo, 20, and Fernando Zambrano, 24, were arrested on suspicion of homicide.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the crime scene in the 5300 block of Gordon Drive after receiving a ShotSpotter activation around 10:15 p.m. Sept. 8.

Deputies located three men who had been shot, officials said. All three were transported to the hospital, but one of the victims, identified by coroner’s officials as Isaiah Valencia-Vasquez, 21, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The three men were moving into their new home, in the Lemon Hill neighborhood of unincorporated south Sacramento, when Camarillo and Zambrano allegedly mistook them for rival gang members, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Camarillo and Zambrano are “known gang associates,” according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

They allegedly fired 17 shots at the victims, the Sheriff’s Office said. “Detectives believe none of the victims had any gang ties, nor did they do anything to provoke the shooting.”

Homicide detectives obtained warrants to arrest Camarillo and Zambrano, who were arrested and booked into jail Sept. 14.

“Homicide detectives and detectives from the Gang Suppression Unit searched the apartment where Camarillo and Zambrano were arrested and discovered five handguns,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “One was a fully automatic handgun, believed to have been the weapon used in the murder.”

Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said the guns were obtained illegally.

The two suspects were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of homicide and are ineligible for bail. Both are scheduled to appear Oct. 2 in Sacramento Superior Court.

This story was originally published September 21, 2023 at 1:21 PM.