Probe continues into Kettleman City killing

Detectives with the Kings County Sheriff's Department are still trying to piece together information about a murder that occurred last week at a Kettleman City gas station near midnight. "We are waiting for a lot of forensic evidence to come in and going through a lot of surveillance videos from the business district in Kettleman City," Cmdr. Robert Thayer said on Monday. "That area is swamped with 24-hour traffic, so there are witnesses we have talked to and more that we have to track down. Nothing has been ruled out at this point."

Los Angeles resident Jose Everado Calderon-Santos, 33, was stopped at the Kettleman City Chevron Gas Station in the 27500 block of Ward Drive close to midnight on Tuesday night when he was apparently shot and killed by an unknown assailant. It is unknown at this time how many suspects were involved, but law enforcement officials believe a white van was used to flee the area. Investigators say that other vehicles may also have been involved.

"Initially, we were trying to figure out who our victim was and his history," Thayer said. "Now we are trying to track down who these people are. He wasn't from this area, so there is no local connection. This could be a random act of violence, it could have been gangs, it could have been anything."

Calderon-Santos, who was originally reported as being a Portland, Ore. resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. Details about his autopsy performed last week are being kept quiet by law enforcement officials, except to say that he was found with "gunshot wounds." The exact number of wounds and where they were found on the victim were not disclosed.

When asked where Calderon-Santos was heading on the night of the murder, officials refused to comment further.

Anyone with additional information about the crime or who may have been in the business district of Kettleman City at 11:50 p.m. on Oct. 11 are asked to contact Detective Tom Wilcox at 582-3211, ext. 2790.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Oct. 14, 2008)