Feb. 3-STOCKTON - A San Joaquin County jury found a Lodi man guilty of murder stemming from a shooting nearly two years ago.
Alejandro Duran Mercado, 25, was arrested on Feb. 26, 2021 just hours after he shot 29-year-old Cenobio "Nick" Gallegos in the 400 block of East Pine St.
Gallegos was found suffering a gunshot wound to the head by Lodi Police Department officers shortly after 3 p.m. that day. He was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries three days later, police said.
A resident who heard the shot that day said they looked outside and saw a neighbor rush out of their house to tend to Gallegos. That neighbor then ran to find Gallegos' family, who live on the block.
Mercado was found inside a home in the 300 block of East Elm Street later that day after detectives and SWAT members served an arrest warrant, according to News-Sentinel archives.
"I would like to sincerely congratulate Deputy District Attorney Lesley Lyberger and Lodi Police Department for holding the defendant accountable for his heinous actions," District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a media statement. "Unprompted acts of violence will not be tolerated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Mercado will appear before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Richard Mallett on March 20 for sentencing.
