Merced Police Seek Whereabouts of Suspect in Fatal May 13th Shooting
Above: File photo of Adrian Rocha
Photo courtesy of Merced Police Department
Merced Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a suspect connected with a homicide in May of this year.
According to a press release by the Merced Police Department, officers responded on the night of May 13 to a report of a shooting in the 1700 block of Conestoga Drive.
At the scene, officers found Dennis Xiong, 36, who had suffered a single gunshot wound. Xiong was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Investigators have reportedly identified Adrian Rocha, 19, as the primary suspect in the shooting. Rocha is currently wanted for homicide.
As well, police are seeking to question two others — identified as Aaron Ortez, 29, and Ramon Preciado, 29 — whom they believe were with Rocha during the shooting.
The firearm used in the shooting has yet to be recovered, police said.
The Merced Police Department encourages anyone with information relevant to the investigation to reach out to Detective Edwin Arias at 209-388-7826 or ariase@cityofmerced.org. The case number is 24-24637.
The Xiong family has coordinated with Crime Stoppers to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to Rocha’s arrest, police said.
