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MODESTO, CA — One block from the location where 39-year-old Kalpesh ‘ Kal’ Patel was shot the night of January 27, Modesto Police Department homicide detectives on February 1morning searched the home of one of the men suspected in his death.
Patel died after he was shot on Ortega Drive on January 27 night. He was found on the sidewalk and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
The shooter left the area before officers got to the scene, according to Heather Graves, spokeswoman for the Modesto Police Department.
Detectives had arrested Jose Lopez, 26, about 11 hours prior during a traffic stop in downtown Modesto. From Lopez’s home on Ortega Drive, one can see the memorial of balloons, candles and flowers erected for Patel on the sidewalk where he was found bleeding on the ground.
Lopez’s co-defendant, 21-year-old Salvador Junior Gallegos, was arrested on January 30 at a home at which he had been staying on Chester Drive in Modesto.
Both men appeared in Stanislaus Superior Court on February 1on charges of murder and conspiracy. Their arraignment is to continue till February 9, giving defense attorneys time to determine if they have a conflict of interest.