15-year-old boy arrested in connection with Santa Cruz County homicide

WATSONVILLE — A 15-year-old boy has been taken into custody during the investigation of Sunday’s fatal downtown shooting.

The teenager, whose identity will not be released due to his age, was arrested Thursday by Watsonville police investigators less than a block from the Sudden Street shooting, authorities said. He will face charges through the juvenile justice system, where proceedings and outcomes are typically closed to the public.

The arrest stems from a shooting shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday in a privately owned commercial parking lot that left Adrian Ayala, 19, of Watsonville, with fatal wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, Ayala died at the scene. According to Watsonville police, officers working with the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team and Santa Cruz County Auto Theft Reduction and Enforcement Task Force were able to track the suspected shooter to Waters Alley, between Jefferson and Sudden Streets. As officers attempted to arrest the boy, he allegedly tossed a gun, according to a department release.

“The suspect has ties to a local gang and is currently facing several charges, including murder, possession of a firearm, gang enhancements, and probation violation,” a department spokesperson posted to social media. “He has been booked into Juvenile Hall.”

Sunday’s shooting marked the city’s second homicide of 2022. Feliciano Martinez Perea, 18, of Watsonville, was killed in an April 5 shooting in the courtyard of an apartment complex on the 100 block of Riverside Drive.