A Stockton woman who once drew national outrage for livestreaming a drunk-driving crash that killed her teenage sister was shot and killed Tuesday night in what investigators say was a drive-by attack, according to local authorities.
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies were called just after 7 p.m. to the 700 block of Gertrude Avenue near Fremont Street, where witnesses reported hearing roughly 10 gunshots. Deputies found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, and both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the woman later died, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Deputies said preliminary information indicates the shooting was a drive-by and urged residents to steer clear of the area while investigators processed the scene.
Victim Identified
The San Joaquin County medical examiner identified the woman as 26-year-old Obdulia Sanchez of Stockton, local outlets reported. The 2017 crash that first put Sanchez in the headlines, where prosecutors and contemporaneous coverage said she was livestreaming when her car overturned and her 14-year-old sister Jacqueline was ejected and killed, was widely shared online, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sentence And Release
Sanchez pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI and child endangerment and was sentenced in February 2018 to six years and four months in state prison. She was released on parole in September 2019 after serving roughly 26 months, a corrections spokesperson told local outlets, as reported by Oxygen.
Days after that 2019 release, she was arrested following a police pursuit in Stockton. Officers reported finding a loaded handgun in her car and charged her with weapons and parole violations, according to a review of police statements and local coverage by The Washington Post.
Investigation Ongoing
San Joaquin County investigators said they have not yet identified a suspect or motive in Tuesday’s drive-by. Detectives continue to process evidence and interview witnesses, and the sheriff’s office has asked anyone with video or information to come forward. One local outlet noted that the department’s tip line was shared in public appeals for help.
Wider Context
The shooting came just days after a mass attack at a toddler’s birthday party in Stockton that left four people dead and more than a dozen wounded, stretching local law enforcement resources and prompting public calls for community tips. Officials have urged neighbors to share video and any leads as detectives juggle multiple active investigations, according to AP News.
Investigators have released few additional details about whether the two victims were known to each other or connected to other incidents. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (209) 468-4400, a number published in local reporting by the Los Banos Enterprise.
