California Teen Arrested For Fatally Shooting Father Of Four In Broad Daylight

A teenager has been arrested in connection to the Sunday afternoon death of a street vendor in Fresno, California.

The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Demarcus Vega, was arrested Wednesday, March 24, when police officers were patrolling near 1100 Winery Avenue, southeast of the city of Fresno, Police Chief Paco Balderrama announced during a press conference on Thursday.

The victim, Lorenzo Pérez, was shot in broad daylight by the suspect who police believe was posing as a customer.

According to the police, the suspect, a Black man, shot Pérez in the head and then fled the scene with several items from his cart.

Pérez was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police then initiated a lookout for the suspect. On Wednesday, patrolling officers spotted a vehicle and a man that matched the suspect’s description near the Ranchwood Apartments.

The officers found several firearms inside the vehicle among which they believed could be the murder weapon. The suspect was identified and arrested along with other individuals, police said.

"Several of the individuals who were standing in front of that apartment complex were armed," said Balderrama. "We did recover a weapon which we believe is the murder weapon."

During the interrogation, Vega "made admissions to his involvement" in the robbery and murder of Perez, Balderrama said at the press conference.

"The Fresno Police Department is certainly not going to put up with this type of violence in the community and the message I want to send is that for anybody who is thinking of assaulting, murdering any innocent person such as Mr. Perez, we will find you and we're going to lock you up," he added.

Investigators are trying to determine if there were any other motives behind the slaying.

They're also on the lookout for a second person who officials say may be connected to the murder.

Perez's cousin Juana Vega Pérez said that she is happy that the suspect has been arrested and wanted him to pay for his crimes.

"I'm glad they caught him so he's not on the streets causing other people harm," she said in Spanish, ABC 7 reported.

Juana said the loss has broken the hearts of the entire family.

"He should have just taken his money, but not his life," she said. "He shouldn't have taken his life in such a cruel way like he did."

Pérez is survived by his wife and four children.

Fresno City Council President Luis Chavez released the following statement on the arrest:

"I am beyond relieved that the man who killed Lorenzo Perez, an innocent street vendor, in cold blood will be brought to justice. I, along with the entire community in Southeast Fresno, continue to lift up prayers to the Perez family during this difficult time.”

"Out of a tragedy, arose a community that rallied around the Perez family and stepped up with support from all sides of our city," Chavez said.

The city has set up a GoFundMe account to help the family.