Sacramento County deputies make arrest in connection with fatal North Highlands shooting

Sacramento County investigators recently made an arrest in a fatal North Highlands shooting from last week.

In a news release, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said Ajan Ray Vaughn was taken into custody on March 24, three days after the shooting of an 18-year-old man in a North Highlands neighborhood.

The Sheriff’s Office also identified the victim in the shooting as Julian Jason Villa, who died on March 21 near the intersection of Watt Avenue and A Street.

A caller told dispatchers that Villa was shot while inside a vehicle, potentially by a shooter in another vehicle.

Responding deputies found Villa, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and attempted first aid. He was later taken to a hospital, where he died.

Sacramento County jail records show that Vaughn, 21, is being held without bail. He faces a murder charge and a charge of felony firearm possession. He was arrested on a warrant and remanded into custody after breaking probation on another charge.

Vaughn was in court this week for a case dating to February 2020, in which he pleaded no contest to evasion, driving without a license and carrying a loaded gun in public. On Friday he appeared in court for violating his parole.