On December 7, 2019, at approximately 4:45 p.m., 20-year-old John 'JJ' Creech Jr. was fatally shot while walking near Santa Clara Way and Yolo Street in Hayward, California. Emergency responders arrived promptly, but Creech was pronounced dead at the scene. The assailant fled immediately after the shooting, leaving the community in shock and mourning.
In the years following the incident, Creech's mother, Angel Santos, tirelessly sought justice for her son.
She utilized social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, to raise awareness about the case and keep her son's memory alive. Santos also distributed flyers throughout the East Bay and beyond, hoping to elicit information from the public. Despite her relentless efforts, the case remained unsolved for over three years, leaving the family in a state of unresolved grief.
A breakthrough occurred in 2023 when Hayward Police Department detectives identified 23-year-old Oakland resident Emmanuel Padilla Maciel as a suspect in the murder of John Creech Jr. An arrest warrant was issued in June 2022, followed by a second warrant from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in February 2023. On April 14, 2023, Padilla Maciel was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon reentering the United States from Mexico. Subsequently, on April 19, 2023, he was taken into custody by Hayward police. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Padilla Maciel with murder, and he was booked into the Hayward Police Department Jail before being transferred to Santa Rita County Jail, where he is held without bail.
The arrest of Padilla Maciel marked a significant development in the prolonged investigation into Creech's death. While the legal process is ongoing, the apprehension of a suspect has provided a measure of solace to Creech's family and the Hayward community, who have long awaited justice for the young man's untimely death.
