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2 Men Sought In East Palo Alto Homicides; Link To Colorado Crimes

EAST PALO ALTO (KCBS) – Police believe three suspects in two fatal gang-related shootings in East Palo Alto earlier this month might also have been involved in a killing and several robberies in Colorado.

Police released the suspects' names at a news conference Monday, along with a timeline of the crimes they are believed to have committed starting July 13, when a Menlo Park woman was shot and killed while sitting in a car in East Palo Alto.

The suspects are Christian Fuentes, 20, who is currently in custody in Alameda County; Jaime Cardenas, 19; and Fidel Silva, 20.

Cardenas and Silva were at large and are being sought by police. All three are East Palo Alto residents.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

On July 13, 19-year-old Catherine Fisher was shot and killed while sitting in a parked car on Annapolis Street. And on July 19, 26-year-old Hugo Chavez was gunned down in the city.

"We believe that a member or members of this trio committed both murders in East Palo Alto as part of a violent crime spree that spans from East Palo Alto to Grand Junction, Colorado," said East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis.

The crimes in Colorado include a triple shooting, homicide, two robberies and a burglary.

Chief Davis is canceling days off to get more officers on the street. He said that all the shootings appear to be gang-related and possibly drug-related as well.

The two murders are just part of what has been a violent 2011 for the city, especially over the last month. Twenty-three year old Jabari Banford was also shot and killed on July 19. And a 3-month-old infant was caught in the crossfire and shot and killed in early June.

A 19-year-old was shot and killed on Sunday night in a parking lot on the 1400 block of East Bayshore Road.

So far, there have been six homicides in East Palo Alto in 2011, with five coming since June.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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