A man from Washington will be arraigned Wednesday for allegedly taking revenge for the death of his daughter by killing a Newark man, according to police and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
Louie Lopez, 52, was charged Monday with the slaying of 40-year-old Reynaldo Cantu outside Cantu's Newark home Friday afternoon. Police arrested Lopez on Saturday in San Jose and booked him into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, according to police.
Prosecutors allege Lopez took revenge because he believed his 16-year-old daughter was killed by Cantu's son. Lopez's daughter died in October, according to prosecutors.
Police went at 2:22 p.m. to the 7600 block of Sunset Avenue, where Lopez allegedly confronted Cantu as he sat in his car, police and prosecutors said. Lopez allegedly asked where Cantu's son was, stating it was Cantu's son who killed his daughter, according to prosecutors. Then Lopez shot Cantu twice, prosecutors said.
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"The suspect confronted the victim about who he was and was looking for his son, another family member and ultimately shot the victim down in the driveway," said Newark Police Department Captain, Jonathan Arguello.
Investigators said home security video caught the murder on tape and helped police identify Lopez.
Neighbors said they tried to comfort Cantu's wife after the shooting.
"She was in shock and trying to tell us he was a good man and he didn't deserve this," neighbor Candy Ramos said. "He was a good man."
Cantu's son dated Lopez's 16-year-old daughter Danielle for two years before she was hit and killed by multiple cars on Interstate 680 in San Jose. The California Highway Patrol is investigating how Danielle got on the freeway, but the Lopez family has claimed Cantu's son somehow responsible for her death and that the CHP has refused to investigate their claims.
"We only want the truth," said Vanessa Velasco, a Lopez family friend.
Cantu's wife heard the shooting and told NBC Bay Area she tried to save her husband as she watched Lopez walk away. She called the shooting "senseless" and claims Lopez's family has been harassing them since Danielle's death. Cantu's wife also denies her son had any involvement.
Meanwhile, neighbors said the shooting was shocking.
"It hit really close to home," Ramos said. "It's unfortunate. It's sad. It's something that could have been prevented."
A spokesperson for the Lopez family provided the following statement, which offered condolences to Cantu's family and added the murder may have been prevented:
"To be frank, the murder on Friday may have been prevented if law enforcement and other offices in Santa Clara County did their job in treating victim’s family with the respect, dignity and opportunity to provide key information to police in a timely manner. The family’s traumas multiplied for two month now. There is a lot more that will baffle the mind of any decent human being. We will share with the public in due time."
The Lopez family is asking for the state attorney general to investigate what they are calling a failure in the justice system.
“Our sincere condolences to the victim’s family during this tragic sequence of events," said a spokesperson from the San Jose Police Department. "The facts are that the young lady was reported missing after the tragic collision on the highway. The California Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the reported domestic violence as well as the fatal traffic collision.”
Newark police are asking anyone with more information about the case to call or email Detective Sgt. Yama Homayoun at 510-578-4920 or at yama.homayoun@newark.org, or to leave a tip anonymously at 510-578-4965.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
