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A Hollister man arrested last week on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with a July 4 shooting that injured a teenager has been released.
Ruben Eduardo Vargas, 30, was released on Aug. 8, two days after he was arrested by Hollister police. As of Aug. 12, no charges had been filed.
District Attorney Joel Buckingham said he reviewed the case and is waiting for further investigation to be completed before he proceeds with filing charges against Vargas.
In announcing his arrest, police said they suspected Vargas was the shooter and had identified him through city-owned surveillance cameras.
Police said Vargas remains the primary suspect in the shooting. The driver of the vehicle used in the shooting is still at large, they said.
Police said they responded to a drive-by shooting on July 4 on the 1000 block of San Benito Street which resulted in a 15-year-old male sustaining a minor head injury believed to be caused by shattered glass from a vehicle hit by gunfire.
Police said there were three victims of the shooting.
A Vargas family member who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns said police arrested the wrong person, calling Vargas a “family man” who had turned his life around after gang involvement in his youth.
“That’s not okay to lie when they don’t have the full story and facts,” the family member said. “I don’t think it’s right that the cops are putting out false narratives that it was him, but then release him with no evidence.”
Hollister Police Detective Sgt. Aurelio Melgoza said Vargas remains the primary suspect because “all the evidence we have points toward him.”
Melgoza said police made the arrest, which occurred during a traffic stop, because investigators had probable cause to do so.
“When we get sufficient evidence, or facts, we can make the arrest and that’s what we did,” he said.
According to court records, Vargas has no history of violent crime in San Benito County. Since 2015, he has been cited for multiple traffic violations including two misdemeanors for driving without a valid license.
Three days before the shooting, he was cited for speeding.
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