Jury Convicts Lemon Grove Man in 2023 Shooting Spree That Killed One and Injured Others

Verdict follows case built around a night of gunfire across multiple San Diego neighborhoods

A man from Lemon Grove has been convicted in connection with a deadly shooting that occurred during a broader sequence of attacks that unfolded across several San Diego-area locations in late January 2023. The case centered on a rapid series of shootings over roughly 90 minutes that left one person dead and others wounded, including teenagers.

The defendant, identified in court records and prior filings as Jaime Gonzalez III, faced charges tied to incidents reported in Spring Valley, at a trolley station in Encanto, and in the Bay Terraces area. Investigators said the events culminated in a fatal shooting in Bay Terraces that killed Raul Rojas Valdez, 32, and also left another adult male wounded.

What prosecutors said happened on Jan. 27, 2023

The prosecution’s account described a driver moving between separate locations and firing at different victims in quick succession. Authorities said an initial shooting in Spring Valley involved a victim who was targeted but not hit. The next major attack occurred at a trolley station in Encanto, where two 15-year-old boys were shot and injured; investigators later determined a third teen suffered a graze wound.

In Bay Terraces, two men were shot, and Valdez died at the scene. During pretrial proceedings, the parties stipulated to injuries described in testimony and filings, including multiple gunshot wounds to Valdez and additional sharp-force injuries documented by investigators.

• Locations tied to the case included Spring Valley, Encanto, and Bay Terraces.
• The victims included multiple people, among them teenagers.
• The fatal shooting involved Raul Rojas Valdez, who died at the scene in Bay Terraces.

Evidence and investigative steps highlighted in court proceedings

Law enforcement reports described the suspect’s vehicle as a key lead. Officers later stopped a car matching the description given during the investigation and arrested Gonzalez. Authorities said a privately made, unregistered firearm—often referred to as a “ghost gun”—was recovered during that stop.

The motive for the attacks was not established publicly in early case coverage, and it was not presented as a settled fact in available court summaries.

Case status and what comes next

The conviction resolves the central question of guilt for the defendant, but sentencing is a separate phase that determines the length and conditions of punishment under California law. In a related development previously announced by the local district attorney’s office, Gonzalez was later sentenced to a term of 86 years to life in state prison for the murder and associated attempted-murder counts tied to the same sequence of events.

The case drew sustained attention because of the number of victims, the short time frame in which the shootings occurred, and the way the attacks moved across multiple neighborhoods—elements that prosecutors argued demonstrated a pattern rather than an isolated confrontation.