Christian Zarate Rodriguez was 24 and a San Jose resident when he was fatally shot on October 16, 2020. He was dining at the Nuevo Vallarta restaurant on South Capitol Avenue when a confrontation between two groups in the outdoor dining area erupted into gunfire. Christian and another man, Jose Ballesteros Varela, were killed; four other people were wounded. Christian left behind a wife and two young children.

Investigators linked the shooting to gang activity and drug trafficking. The San Jose Police Department and the DEA worked the case together. On January 19, 2022, police executed six arrest warrants in San Jose; among those arrested were Raymond Caballero Araujo, Andres Campos Salas, and Oswaldo Varela, each charged with murder and gang-related enhancements. Authorities also charged a 31-year-old San Jose woman as an accessory after the fact. During the arrests, law enforcement seized methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, fentanyl pills, about $175,000 in cash, a 9mm ghost gun, and an AR-15 rifle.