An adult man was found shot to death early Sunday near Park Street and North Soderquist Road in Turlock, and within hours police had an 18-year-old Los Banos resident in custody on suspicion of murder. Officers responded to the reported shooting just before 2:30 a.m. and found a man who had been shot at least once; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rapid Arrest Follows Overnight Shooting
Turlock police arrested Corey Pollard Jr. on suspicion of murder shortly after officers responded to the scene, according to CBS Sacramento. Pollard, who lives in Los Banos, was booked into Stanislaus County jail on the murder charge. Investigators have not released details about what led up to the shooting or whether Pollard and the victim knew each other, and police have not yet released the victim's name or other identifying information.
The station's report notes that the Stanislaus County Coroner's Office typically must complete formal identification and notify next of kin before a victim's name is made public, which explains why the man's identity has not yet surfaced. Per the same account, the investigation remains active, and detectives are still working to establish a timeline of what happened on Park Street before officers arrived.
Detective Leading the Case, Chief Offers Condolences
Turlock Police Detective Gerardo Higareda has been assigned to lead the homicide investigation, and police are asking anyone with information to call him at 209-668-6550, according to ABC10. Acting Turlock Police Chief Steve Rodrigues issued a statement offering condolences to the victim's family and commending the quick response of patrol officers, dispatchers, emergency medical responders, and detectives.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office provided on-scene investigative assistance to Turlock police during the early morning probe, as reported by obitrecap.today. That outlet's coverage adds that the coroner's office took custody of the victim to complete identification and notify family before any public release of his name.
What Pollard Faces in Court
Because Pollard is 18, California law classifies him as an adult defendant, placing his case under the jurisdiction of Superior Court rather than juvenile court, according to legal reference material from Shouse Law Group. A murder conviction under California Penal Code Section 187 carries a statutory penalty of 25 years to life in prison for first-degree murder or 15 years to life for second-degree murder, not counting any additional firearm sentencing enhancements. Pollard was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on East Hackett Road in Modesto, the county's primary adult detention facility since the closure of the former downtown Men's Jail.
A Pattern of Violence Turlock Has Tried to Curb
The shooting comes as Turlock police continue efforts to tamp down violent crime through targeted enforcement. Hoodline reported that the department launched a dedicated Street Crimes Unit in February 2025, staffed by three officers and a sergeant focused on proactive enforcement against thefts and gang activity. Turlock recorded three homicides in 2024 with a violent crime rate of about 475.8 per 100,000 residents, according to municipal data from OpenCrime.
Statewide, homicides in California dropped 17.5 percent year-over-year in 2025 to 1,374 cases, with firearms remaining the primary weapon in fatal incidents, per California Department of Justice statistics relayed by ABC10. Whether this case fits any broader pattern remains unclear, since investigators have not disclosed a motive or confirmed any relationship between Pollard and the victim. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Detective Higareda as the investigation continues.
