The preliminary hearing for two Bay Area men accused of involvement in an August 2022 shooting in Vacaville that left one man dead and another injured continued into its second day in Solano County Superior Court. The hearing, held at the Justice Center in Fairfield, will resume on Friday and continue for two more days in March.
Damien Maurice Jones Jr., 24, of Fairfield, and Jeremy Dante Love Fisher, 28, of Pacifica, are facing serious charges related to the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Cristian Medina and the attempted murder of another man, identified as J.L. According to investigators, the incident happened during what they believe was an armed robbery.
The courtroom proceedings featured witness testimonies and evidence as the judge determines whether there’s enough proof to move forward with a jury trial. Jones and Fisher have defense attorneys Cate Beekman and Thomas Maas representing them, respectively. Deputy District Attorney Courtney Anderson is leading the prosecution, with Detective Jesse Outly from Vacaville police heading the investigation.
Witness accounts of what happened on that August day were a key focus of the hearing. Ma del Rosario Reyes, who lives in a second-story apartment overlooking the parking lot where the shooting occurred, testified again. Speaking with the help of a Spanish interpreter, Reyes said she saw two men, including one in a green hoodie, with Medina and another man before shots rang out. However, she admitted to not clearly remembering if the person in the green hoodie was the one who fired the shots.
Reyes recalled that after the shooting, she told investigators she saw someone running and firing at J.L. as he headed toward his apartment. Still, she initially mentioned seeing only one person with Medina before later learning from her husband that there were two.
Reyes’ husband, Hector Jimenez, also testified. He said he was on the balcony when he heard gunfire and saw two suspects chasing J.L. Jimenez ran to J.L.’s apartment afterward, where he found blood near the doorway and J.L. with his forearm wrapped in a towel. While Jimenez reported hearing multiple sets of gunshots, his memory differed slightly from his initial statement to police, as the events unfolded rapidly over two years ago.
The hearing also revisited key details from the investigation. Around 3:30 p.m. on August 12, 2022, Vacaville police responded to reports of a shooting in the 500 block of Markham Avenue. Medina and J.L. were taken to the hospital, where Medina passed away. J.L. recovered fully. After a six-month investigation, police conducted multiple search warrants in Vacaville, Fairfield, American Canyon, and Pacifica, eventually arresting Jones and Fisher.
Jones faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and weapons violations. Fisher is also charged with first-degree murder and was previously arrested on unrelated domestic violence and vandalism charges.
Witness testimony painted a tense scene, with Jimenez describing Medina and J.L. talking by a vehicle before two hooded individuals approached. One reportedly wore a ski mask, and gunfire erupted soon after. Jimenez said people fled the area as the shots were fired.
The hearing continues Friday afternoon at the Justice Center in Fairfield as the court digs deeper into the evidence and testimony surrounding this tragic case.