Markesse W. Owens, 41, a Black man from Riverbank, California, was killed on September 19, 2025, after sheriff’s deputies rushed to a home in the 6100 block of Claus Road following a report of a shooting in the late afternoon. When deputies arrived, they found Owens suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately began lifesaving efforts, but the damage had already been done; he was pronounced dead at the scene, and the quiet residential block became a crime scene in a matter of minutes.
As investigators worked the area, deputies secured the residence and discovered two juveniles inside the home. The children were unharmed, and they were safely removed while detectives began the careful process of reconstructing what happened in the moments leading up to the gunfire—who had been there, what had been said, and how the situation escalated to a killing.
The case was taken up by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, and within days, investigators publicly identified a suspect: Keyante Aaron Reed, 19. Authorities said a murder warrant had been issued for Reed’s arrest and warned the public to consider him armed and dangerous, urging anyone who saw him—or knew where he was—to call 911 rather than approach.
Public updates in the days after the killing focused on locating Reed and gathering leads, with investigators asking anyone with information to contact the assigned detective or submit tips through Crime Stoppers. Those reports did not describe an arrest or a court proceeding related to Owens’ death at that time; instead, they read like a continuing manhunt, with the suspect’s whereabouts still listed as unknown in the official public notices.
