On April 23, 2022, 19-year-old Michael Montoya was found dead in the roadway near Sowell Street and Howard Avenue in Visalia, California, shortly after midnight. Responding officers discovered Montoya with gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Visalia Police Department opened an investigation into the killing.

The investigation led to the arrest of 21-year-old Giovanni Castaneda, who was taken into custody on suspicion of homicide and booked into the Tulare County Pretrial Facility. Police reports note Castaneda has prior misdemeanor and felony assault convictions. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and it is unclear whether Montoya and Castaneda knew each other before the shooting. The department’s Violent Crimes and Crime Scene Investigation units have been working the case, and Castaneda was expected to be arraigned shortly after his arrest.

Anyone who may have information about the shooting near Sowell and Howard is asked to come forward.