Suspect on probation charged in Sunol shooting

SUNOL — A man already wanted for violating probation for a gun charge conviction has been formally charged with shooting a man May 15 while they drove on Niles Canyon Road, according to authorities and court records.

The 25-year-old suspect has been charged with premeditated attempted murder, possession of an assault weapon and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail and is scheduled to enter a plea June 3. He will also have a probation revocation hearing that day.

According to the sheriff’s department, the shooting was reported about 7:08 a.m. May 15 in the 5500 block of Niles Canyon Road. The victim, a man in his 30s who knows the suspect, jumped out of a vehicle and flagged down a motorist for help.

He had been shot in the chest, allegedly by the suspect, while driving in the vehicle with him, authorities said.

Deputies and medical personnel responded and after treatment at the scene the victim was taken to a hospital. It was not known if the man is still hospitalized Friday.

A motive for the shooting has not been released.

Sheriff’s detectives were able to confirm the suspect’s identity and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The suspect was located May 28 at a Hayward homeless camp and tried to flee but was arrested by Alameda County sheriff’s deputies. A loaded 9mm AR-15 pistol linked to him was recovered at the camp, the sheriff’s office said.

According to court records, the suspect was arrested in May 2022 in Hayward for carrying a loaded firearm on one’s person in a city, carrying a concealed firearm  on the person and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.

In a plea deal, he was convicted in July 2022 of the carrying a concealed firearm on the person count and the others were dismissed. He was given credit for time served in jail and was placed on two years probation.

According to the records, a warrant was issued for his arrest April 24 after he failed to show up in court for a violation hearing and his probation was revoked.  It was not immediately known what the grounds were for the alleged probation violation.