On the night of June 23, 2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Richmond Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Bella Vista at Hilltop apartment complex, located in the 3400 block of Richmond Parkway. Upon arrival, officers discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the victims, identified as 26-year-old Richmond resident Elizander Navarez-Fernandez, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office.
The second victim was transported to a local trauma center and was listed in stable but critical condition.
Investigators determined that the incident occurred during a party at the apartment complex, where a confrontation escalated into violence. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Richmond resident Arcenio Fernandez Marquez, was known to both victims. During the altercation, Marquez allegedly produced a firearm and shot both individuals before fleeing the scene.
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant and an alert associated with Marquez's vehicle, law enforcement agencies tracked his movements across state lines. On June 25, 2024, a license plate reader detected Marquez's vehicle near Ogallala, Nebraska. Officers from the Ogallala Police Department, with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol and the Keith County Sheriff's Office, located the vehicle at a local Walmart. Marquez was apprehended without incident and taken into custody. He remained in Nebraska awaiting extradition to California to face charges related to the homicide.
The Richmond Police Department emphasized that this incident was isolated and not connected to other recent homicides in the area. They extended condolences to the family of Navarez-Fernandez and expressed hope that the swift apprehension of the suspect would bring some measure of closure to those affected by the tragedy.
