Watsonville police identify victims of Friday night’s shooting that killed two

Watsonville police have released the names of the three people shot Friday night on Main Street.

The 4-year-old girl killed at the Fish House Bar and Restaurant was Jaelyn Zavala. The 33-year-old man found shot to death outside the restaurant, near the Valley Inn motel was Ramon Rendon.

The Marina Youth Soccer League, of which Jaelyn was a member, has started a memorial fund to raise money for her family.

Police said Rendon, who was the night manager at the motel, was the intended target of the shooting.

Rendon was leaving the motel, which shares a parking lot with the Fish House, after his shift was over when he was confronted by a rival gang member.

A second man, 26-year-old Emanuel Hernandez, was shot inside the back office of the restaurant as well. He suffered non life-threatening injuries.

Police responded to the restaurant around 11:55 p.m. Friday for reports of a fight involving a weapon. The Valley Inn, located next door, had also called for police assistance.

Police have arrested Michael Escobar, 31, of Salinas on murder charges.

The suspected get-away driver also was arrested on other charges, but his name hasn’t been released. A third man initially taken into custody after the shooting was later released after police determined he was in the area at the time but wasn’t connected to the shooting.

Escobar is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Cruz County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Escobar is the brother of Julian Escobar, who was convicted of murder for the 2009 shooting death of a 19-year-old in Watsonville. Angel Escobedo was killed while playing basketball in the city’s Apple Hill neighborhood in what police say was a case of mistaken identity.

Julian Escobar had reportedly gone to Watsonville seeking the individual or individuals who had shot Michael Escobar earlier that day. Michael had been shot by suspected gang members or affiliates from the Apple Hill neighborhood, Santa Cruz County prosecutors said during his trial. Escobar, accompanied by a friend, shot at a group of teenagers playing on a basketball court, killing Escobedo.

Michael Escobar also faced bank robbery charges in Santa Cruz County in 2011 but those were later dismissed, according to his then-defense attorney.

Police say there is a community forum focused on justice, compassion and hope scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at E.A. Hall Middle School. The forum was scheduled before this latest round of violence, and police say this past weekend underscores the event’s importance. Details are here.