Andres Dominguez

On the night of March 28, 2024, police in San Diego responded to reports of a single-vehicle accident in the Oak Park neighborhood. At the intersection of 60th and Michael streets, just before 11 p.m., they found a car that had crashed into a fence. The driver, Andres Dominguez, a 25-year-old Hispanic man from Poway, was unresponsive inside.

When first responders removed Dominguez from the car, they discovered he was suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. Paramedics provided immediate aid and transported him to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Homicide detectives learned that the crash was the final moment of a violent encounter that began a few blocks away. Dominguez had been involved in a verbal altercation, during which he was shot. He then got into his car and drove a short distance before losing control and crashing.

Over the next several months, the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit continued to investigate. They determined that Dominguez was working as a marijuana delivery driver and was shot and killed during a failed robbery attempt at Redwood and 60th streets. Prosecutors later stated that text messages between the suspects showed they had planned to place an order with a delivery service with the intent of robbing the driver.

The investigation led to the identification of three suspects. On July 2, 2024, authorities arrested 18-year-old Brayan Morales and 19-year-old Arlene Zaragoza. A third suspect, 16-year-old Keven Chinchilla, was already in custody at San Diego County Juvenile Hall on unrelated charges. All three were charged with murder and attempted robbery. Following a trial, a jury convicted Brayan Morales and Keven Chinchilla of first-degree murder and attempted robbery. The jury, however, did not find true the special circumstance allegation that the murder was committed during the commission of a robbery. After the verdict, the two men were awaiting sentencing.