Location: 400 block of W. Cedar
Incident Date: 5-28-15
Incident Time: 1750
Case Number: 15-40003
Victim: Male Hispanic
Posted by: Media Relations
Suspect: Samuel Cayetano Rivas 21 yrs, Exeter/ Visalia/ Farmersville, Ca. In Custody
On 05/28/2015 at approx. 1750 hours Officers from the Exeter Police Department were dispatched to the 400 blk of W. Cedar in regards to a shooting at an inhabited dwelling. Upon the officers arrival the preliminary investigation revealed that a vehicle in the 400 blk of W. Cedar had sustained several gunshot strikes and the officers located evidence in the roadway to support the allegations.
The follow up investigation was turned over to Investigators of the Interagency Gang Enforcement Team which is made of investigators from the Exeter & Farmersville Police Department’s and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department and funded by a grant from the Ed Byrnes Justice Assistance Grant.
The investigators located a victim later in the day who suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the upper back area. The victim, a known southern gang member was treated and released from a local hospital.
The ensuing investigation revealed that the victim was in the 400 blk of W. Cedar when a dark colored mid-size SUV drove by and the occupants fired several shots from the moving vehicle in his direction striking him and a residence in the area. The victim was transported to a local hospital by private vehicle and treated for his injury. A suspect was identified by witnesses. An arrest warrant was issued for Rivas for the listed charges.
On 06/03/15 at approx. 1500 hours, the suspect Samuel Rivas, a known Northern Gang Member was contacted by Investigators from the Visalia Police Departments Gang Unit in regards to a traffic stop and taken into custody on the arrest warrant.
Investigators from the Interagency Gang Enforcement Team served a search warrant in the 4300 Blk of E. Vista, Visalia, Ca and located evidence linking Rivas to the crime. Rivas was booked at the Tulare County APTF without incident and is being held on the listed charges with bail set at $1,000,000.00. Booking Photo available.
The case is currently under investigation by the Interagency Gang Enforcement Team and no other information is being released at this time. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Det. Scott McElroy or Sgt. Steve Kennedy at (559)735-1898 or (800) 808-0488.
Anonymous information about this incident can be reported via Tipnow
email tcso@tipnow.net txt or voicemail at 559-725-4194 or (800) END-GANG
or download the Tipnow app for Android or Apple phones.