Prosecutors have declined to file charges against an 18-year-old man arrested last week in connection with a shooting in Moss Landing that killed two students.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Monday that there was “insufficient evidence” to bring criminal charges against Donald William Breeden, who had been arrested on suspicion of murder with criminal street gang enhancements last week.
Breeden no longer appeared in jail records on Tuesday.
“At this time there is insufficient evidence to prove that Donald Breeden did not fire in self-defense,” the statement read.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two Salinas students, Marco Antonio Perez, 15, and Nathaniel Flores, 13, were killed and another person was wounded in the early morning shooting on Nov. 2 that occurred during a dispute between partygoers at the popular state beach, authorities said.
Dozens of people attended the party including “Norteno gang members and associates involved with both a group from Salinas and a group from Greenfield,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement this week.
Perez and Florez were allegedly from the Salinas group; Breeden and the young adult who was shot twice but survived were allegedly from the Greenfield group, according to prosecutors.
The dispute started as an argument over alleged inappropriate behavior by members of the Salinas group, some of which was corroborated by witness statements and physical evidence, according to prosecutors.
In one instance, a witness said a member of the Salinas group had stolen necklaces, and prosecutors said law enforcement later found multiple gold necklaces in his backpack.
The argument escalated, with the two sides yelling insults at one another.
“There was less agreement about the presence of weapons,” the district attorney’s statement read. Witnesses told authorities that people on both sides held their waistbands as if they had guns or displayed actual guns.
“The evidence as to who shot first points in different directions,” the statement read. “Some of those present said the Salinas group shot first, while others said the Greenfield group shot first. It was dark, and many of those present were underage, intoxicated, or involved in some respect.”
What is clear, according to the office, was that many shots were fired that morning. Law enforcement found 21 shell casings at the scene fired from at least two guns. No firearms have been recovered.
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