The Santa Maria Police Department announced Wednesday that all four suspects in the deadly shooting of a Santa Maria teen are now in custody.
Shortly before midnight on Feb. 4, 2022, Alexis Mendoza was shot and killed in a parking structure at the Santa Maria Town Center mall. A 24-year-old woman was also shot but survived.
Over the course of the investigation, police say officers identified four documented gang members as suspects in Mendoza's murder. Three of them were already in custody for other crimes when they were identified as suspects -- Irvin Yair Gabino, 20, and two now-19-year-old men who were juveniles at the time of the shooting.
Police say the fourth suspect, Alexis Ramirez Carmona, 22, has been out of custody and living in Lake Stevens, Washington.
On Wednesday, Nov. 22, Carmona was taken into custody with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Office and authorities in Washington state. He is now awaiting extradition back to Santa Barbara County.
According to police, Gabino and the other two suspects were formally booked on Monday, Nov. 27. They face charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and gang enhancements.
