After 19 years, Riverside fatal shooting suspect is arrested in Mexico

A man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in Riverside was apprehended this month in Mexico after 19 years on the run, according to authorities.

Luis Contreras, 51, now faces prosecution in California in the 2005 killing.

On the evening of June 14, 2005, Riverside police officers responded to a call of shots fired and an injured person at a residence in the 4700 block of Doane Avenue, according to a police statement.

When officers arrived, they found Alfonso Vera, 38, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Vera later died from his injuries.

At the time, several witnesses said they heard gunshots inside the residence and saw people fleeing the scene in two cars. The Riverside Police Department later obtained license plate information for one of those vehicles.

After numerous interviews, Riverside robbery and homicide detectives determined one of the suspects had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend, then started hitting her.

Authorities say Vera intervened to protect the woman, at which point he was shot.

Detectives arrested two individuals a couple weeks after the slaying. One was charged with accessory to murder and received a three-year prison sentence, but charges were not filed against the second person due to a lack of evidence, authorities said in the statement.

The names of those individuals were not released.

Detectives at the time identified Contreras as the suspected gunman, and said they believed he had fled to Mexico after the shooting. An arrest warrant was issued, but his whereabouts remained unknown.

The Riverside Police Department's Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation last month, with the goal of finding Contreras. They did so with the support of a U.S. Marshals task force that works to locate and apprehend wanted violent criminals who flee the Riverside area.

Contreras was apprehended on July 8 in Mexicali, Mexico, by the Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana International Unit, working in coordination with the U.S. Marshals.

Contreras has since been booked into the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's detention center.

Anyone with additional information can contact the Homicide Cold Case Unit at (951) 320-8000 or by emailing HomicideColdCase@RiversideCA.gov .

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .