SAN LEANDRO — A woman walking her dogs with her boyfriend was fatally shot Thursday night and a suspect was later arrested in Dublin, police said Friday.
The boyfriend and the dogs were not injured, police said. It was the second time in recent weeks that a person walking their dog was shot and killed in San Leandro.
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The shooting happened about 11:11 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of East 14th Street and Williams Street. Arriving officers found the unresponsive woman suffering from at least one gunshot wound to her torso. She was transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to her injuries.
No information was immediately released about the woman, including her age and place of residence.
The preliminary investigation revealed the victim, and her boyfriend, were walking their dogs in the 1800 block of East 14th Street when a vehicle pulled over near them. The suspect exited the vehicle and accosted the couple.
After a brief interaction, the suspect drew a firearm and shot the victim once in the torso. The suspect then got back into his car and fled the scene.
Police said in a news release that investigators learned through law enforcement channels that Dublin police had made an arrest in their jurisdiction, just before midnight, involving a suspect in possession of a firearm.
The circumstances leading up to that arrest, and the descriptions of the arrestee and his vehicle, closely matched those from the San Leandro homicide, the release said, but no other details were provided.
Following up on this lead, San Leandro detectives were able to develop more evidence and ultimately place 21-year-old Rohith Sunil of San Jose under arrest on suspicion of murder, the release said. He is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
In the release, police said the San Leandro Police Department “would like to express our immense appreciation for the police work and intelligence-sharing by the Dublin Police Department, which enabled us to swiftly bring a homicide suspect to justice.”
In the release, police said they “recognize the parallels between this case and last month’s murder of another victim walking his dog, and we acknowledge the public safety concerns this may raise within the community. Our investigation, thus far, has found no connection between the two homicides or between the suspects arrested in each case.
“We have also found no basis to believe they are part of a mounting pattern.”
While an arrest has been made, police continued to urge anyone with additional information regarding this killing to contact police via any of the following methods: Detective C. Pricco at 510-577-3244, anonymous tip line at 510-577-3278, or Text-to-Tip at 888777 (keyword: TipSLPolice).
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.