Daniel Martinez Jr., 37, was found unresponsive in the early hours of Labor Day, September 3, 2018, at a residence in the 1200 block of Polk Street in Salinas. He was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts at resuscitation; police later confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators say Christopher Montoya, 32 at the time, was arrested in late November and charged with murder; police allege Montoya entered the home armed with a Ruger revolver after traveling from San Jose with his brother and two women, and an altercation over a woman ended with Martinez being shot. Two residents of the home, Ray Demetrio Espino and his mother Maria Benavides, were accused by police of destroying evidence but were not charged. Montoya’s defense has argued the shot may have been accidental or in self-defense; the autopsy results discussed at the preliminary hearing were not yet available.

Was anyone in the Salinas community present that night who can shed more light on what happened at the Polk Street residence?