Rafael Jose Pineda was a 22-year-old Hispanic man from Salinas, California, and a former student of Marina High School. He was shot and killed on the evening of October 7, 2020, in the parking lot of the Lucky Grocery Store on South Main Street in Salinas after an argument among a group of people escalated to gunfire. A second person, a 26-year-old man, was wounded in the leg and survived.

The Salinas Police Department identified 26-year-old Samuel Mendoza as the suspect. Mendoza surrendered to police the next day with his attorney, who said Mendoza acted in self-defense. Mendoza was arrested and booked on charges of murder and attempted murder; he pleaded not guilty at a court hearing on October 13, 2020, when a judge set bail at $1.35 million. As of October 2020 the case was moving through the court system.

If anyone witnessed the shooting in the Lucky Grocery parking lot or has information about the argument that led to gunfire, please come forward.