Tadesse Mekrai, 21, was found unresponsive in a car at Palm Avenue and Twining Avenue in the Otay Mesa West area on March 19, 2020, and died after being transported to a local hospital from a gunshot wound to his torso. The shooting followed an altercation near Drucker Lane and Siempre Viva Road. Another man, 22-year-old Hector Gabriel Sanchez, was at the scene with a gunshot wound to his leg and was arrested and charged with murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted robbery.

A 16-year-old girl was found unharmed in the trunk of the car. Sanchez pleaded not guilty and was held without bail pending further proceedings, with a preliminary hearing set for June 12, 2020. The San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit led the investigation and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office handled prosecution.

Was anyone in the area that night able to help piece together what happened leading up to the shooting?