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Crime & Safety

Not Guilty Plea for Sureño Suspect in October Half Moon Bay Gang Shooting Incident

Jose Rafael Casillas Monroy appeared in San Mateo County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.

Jose Rafael Casillas Monroy, a Sureño gang member and Half Moon Bay resident, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted murder with a gang enhancement in connection with a that took place in Half Moon Bay on the evening of Oct. 7.

Monroy, 29, is the lone suspect in the Oct. 7 gang shooting which involved a gunman on a bicycle who shot at a man and a woman on Willow Avenue, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Monroy is suspected of shooting the man in the chest and shooting at the woman several times with a handgun unsuccessfully, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

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The shooting victim was treated on the scene by CalFire paramedics and subsequently taken by ambulance to Stanford Hospital. The victim's injuries were not deemed to be life-threatening, the Sheriff's Office said.

The victim and shooter are known to one another, according to the Sheriff's Office.

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Later that evening, deputies with the Sheriff's Office found Monroy in his residence in the 400 block of Cypress Ave. and took him into custody at the San Mateo County jail, where he is currently being held on no bail status.

Monroy was represented in court yesterday by attorney Paul Demeester. The suspect will return on Nov. 9 to set a preliminary hearing date.

Monroy was shot in the foot in a confirmed Norteño-on-Sureño gang shooting that took place in Half Moon Bay's Arleta Park neighborhood on . Another Sureños gang member was shot in the chest during that incident and also survived. While a third person in the immediate area was not shot, his location during the shooting has been determined to be within the "shooting zone," according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The suspected shooter in the Aug. incident, Norteño gang member Christian Serrano DeLeon, earlier this month on Oct. 12, when the court scheduled him to be arraigned on Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m. A preliminary hearing date will also be set at that time.

According to Wagstaffe, DeLeon faces , three counts of felony assault with a firearm, and possession of marijuana for sale in connection with the Aug. 14 incident.

DeLeon is also facing charges of one count felony assault with a gang enhancement, one count felony illegal possession of a dangerous weapon, and one count felony gang activity in connection with an incident for another incident that took place in Moss Beach on December 27, 2010, Wagstaffe said.

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