Hispanic/Latino. Late on Sunday, August 24, 2025, Richard Morello Jr., 27, male, was shot in an Antioch neighborhood near Cobblestone Drive and Flagstone Drive after multiple callers reported gunfire around 11:45 p.m. Officers arrived to find the 27-year-old male suffering from at least one gunshot wound; they attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The location and timing were confirmed by police and local outlets that documented the first calls and the response.
Detectives and crime-scene investigators took over as the case shifted quickly into an active homicide investigation. By the next day, August 25, investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in Vallejo and collected evidence. On Tuesday, August 26, officers in Stockton arrested the suspect without incident and recovered additional evidence from a vehicle. Antioch police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Jesus Soto of Vallejo; authorities stated he was arrested on a homicide charge connected to the killing of Richard Morello Jr., 27, male.
Police publicly identified the victim as Richard Morello Jr., 27, male, and asked anyone with information to contact Detective John Cox as the investigation remains ongoing. Memorial pages created by relatives and community members noted the date of death and the shock of the killing, echoing the official timeline released by authorities.
