On July 14, 2019, Merced Police Department officers responded to the 1300 block of Merced Avenue for a shooting.

When officers arrived on scene, they found an adult male who had been shot.

The male was unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased on scene.

Merced Police Detectives were called out to the scene and they began following up on leads.

Detectives were able to identify 39-year-old Stuart Nagata and 35-year-old Karla Perez as suspects in the shooting.

Detectives learned that Nagata and Perez had fled the scene in a white vehicle.

On July 16, 2019, MPD detectives located the suspects vehicle parked at a residence on Gage Street in Planada.

Once the vehicle was recovered, detectives learned that Nagata and Perez had fled the Merced area.

On August 10, 2019, MPD detectives developed information that led them to a residence in Lindsay, Ca.

MAGNET, MPD detectives and the Gang Violence Suppression Unit conducted an operation in Lindsay which resulted in the arrest of Nagata and Perez.

On August 15, 2019, Nagata and Perez were transported back to Merced where they were booked for several felonies including murder and gang enhancements.

Nagata is a validated Nuestra Familia Prison gang member, a Norteno criminal street gang.

Merced Police are asking anyone with any information regarding this crime to contact Detective Kalvin Haygood at (209) 385-6998.

The public can send information via anonymous text messages to police department by dialing “TIP411” (847411) and including the word “Comvip” as the “keyword” in the text message.

(MPD Press release)