A California woman was walking her dogs with her boyfriend in San Leandro when, after being “accosted,” an individual drew a firearm and shot at them. Rohith Sunil, a 21-year-old man, is accused of killing the woman following an altercation.
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As reported by Law & Crime, citing a San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) statement, the incident occurred at around 11:11 p.m. on Thursday, July 17. A the intersection of East 14th and Williams streets, Sunil pulled over near the couple and accosted them, as per police. The couple was walking the woman’s dogs and holding hands before being approached by the suspect.
A brief altercation ensued between both parties. Then, Sunil allegedly drew a firearm, opened fire at the couple and the dogs, and fled the scene. The woman was shot once in the torso. Her boyfriend and the two dogs they were walking were physically unharmed, as per the statement.
Police officers responded to the area and attempted to rush the woman to a local hospital. However, she succumbed to her injuries before she could be treated.
Suspect Arrested
Moments after the fatal shooting, the Dublin Police Department (DPD) located Sunil and arrested him on a possession of a firearm charge. The statement reported that the circumstances leading to the DPD’s arrest “closely matched those from the San Leandro homicide.”
SLPD detectives developed more evidence and then arrested Rohith Sunil for murder.
Reportedly, this is not the first time in the past few weeks that a similar incident occurred in San Leandro. Residents in the area have grown fearful since the most recent shooting comes after another person was shot dead while walking their dogs in June.
However, the SLPD stated that, while parallels can be drawn between both incidents, no connection has been found. Furthermore, no connections between the two suspects arrested were made. The SLPD added, “We have also found no basis to believe they are part of a mounting pattern.”
A San Leandro resident, Dulce Macias, spoke about her fears with ABC7.
“I’m scared. I’m kind of panicking like you can’t even go for a walk now,” Macias said. “More security at night probably. I don’t know that it’s going to help.”