The Detective Bureau of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrested a man in connection with the investigation into a June 17 shooting death on Lyons Avenue.
Fernando Bernabe, 31, of Newhall, was pronounced dead in the parking lot of Valencia Liquor that evening, the result of a “gunshot wound to the chest,” according to the medical examiner’s report.
The store is located at 22925 Lyons Ave., just west of Newhall Avenue.
A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said Thursday that deputies took Omar Garcia Ramirez into custody at 10 a.m. Wednesday and he was processed about 90 minutes later.
The location of the arrest was not immediately available.
“He was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley station on charges of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, felony evading arrest,” according to Lt. Patricia Thomas of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Thomas said a case is expected to be presented to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Friday for the consideration of charges.
Homicide detectives said last week that investigators had “workable information” regarding the shooting, which was suspected to be gang-related, as both the suspect and the victim had gang ties.
LASD custody records available online indicate Garcia Ramirez is due in a San Fernando courtroom Friday for his initial arraignment.
He’s currently being held in lieu of more than $3 million bail.
The shooting was one of two that took place that night near the same neighborhood in Newhall. No one was injured in the second shooting, which is suspected to involve juveniles who fired a handgun at a home.
While deputies believe both incidents might be related to gang activity, the shootings do not appear to be directly related and are separate investigations.
