Fillmore man charged with murder after shooting claims two in Santa Paula

SANTA PAULA, Calif. - The Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported that a Fillmore man has been charged with murder after he shot three Santa Paula men, killing two and wounding the third.

22-year-old Kristian Fonseca reportedly shot at the men on Oct. 24, 2020.

Santa Paula police responded to the 200 block of Ventura Street around 10:13 p.m. where they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One man, identified as Jose Estrada, was pronounced dead at the scene while the second, Daniel Zuniga, was transported to Ventura County Medical Center in critical condition.

Zuniga sadly died at the hospital after being on life support for two weeks. Police said a third gunshot victim, Rafael Hernandez, showed up at the Santa Paula Hospital Emergency Room while officers were still investigating the incident. He was later transported to Ventura County Medical Center for treatment.

Police identified Fonseca as a person of interest in this case and arrested him on Oct. 27 on an unrelated warrant. Santa Paula Police detectives continued to investigate until Fonseca was charged on Dec. 10 by the DA's Office.

His charges include two counts of murder, with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm during the crimes, as well as one count of attempted murder with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm.

The District Attorney said Fonseca is currently in custody at the Ventura County Jail for an attempted murder that he committed in the City of Ventura in October 2019. His bail was set at $3 million.

Fonseca appeared in court on Dec. 10 and pled not guilty to the charges connected to this shooting.

The case is set for an early disposition conference on Jan. 27, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.