Arrests in February Fremont Fatal Shooting

A Fremont homicide case that had been hanging open since early February just got a big turn. Police say two men suspected in the fatal shooting near Central Avenue and Joseph Street are now in custody. The break did not come from a dramatic manhunt. It came from a trespassing call in Hayward that put the suspects in front of officers who recognized them. ### What happened back in February? The shooting happened on February 3, 2026, at about 4:19 p.m. near Central Avenue and Joseph Street in Fremont. Police got multiple 911 calls, arrived within minutes, found one victim on the ground, and gave trauma care. The victim later died. At the time, Fremont police said it was the city’s second homicide of 2026. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Who got arrested? Fremont police identified the two suspects as Kaleb Soto, 19, and Ricardo Duran, 42. Police said Hayward officers encountered them on April 4, 2026, during a trespassing call, recognized them as people of interest in the homicide investigation, and coordinated with Fremont investigators. Both were then taken into custody and booked on homicide warrants under Penal Code 187. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Why did the arrest happen in Hayward? Basically, this was a neighboring-agency break. Hayward officers were not responding to the Fremont shooting itself. They were handling a separate trespassing call. But once they identified Soto and Duran, Fremont detectives were able to move quickly. That matters because it shows the case had already advanced far enough for police to know who they were looking for before the arrest moment arrived. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Do we know who the victim was? Fremont police did not name the victim in the initial February release. But later reporting tied the case to the death of Fernando Campos-Diaz. That same reporting said the shooting happened near a 7-Eleven in the Central Avenue and Joseph Street area. ### What do we know about motive? This is where things get more specific, but also more provisional. (fremontpolice.gov) Court-record reporting described the killing as growing out of a confrontation between people tied to rival Norteño subsets. Patch, citing East Bay Times reporting on court records, said Duran and Soto were accused of confronting Campos-Diaz and others, and that the fight escalated to gunfire when one side started losing. That account helps explain why investigators may have treated this as more targeted than random — but it is still an allegation, not a courtroom finding. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Why does this matter for Fremont? Because an arrest changes the shape of a homicide case. Before the arrests, the public story was mostly a location, a time, and a dead victim. Now there are named defendants, a clearer investigative timeline, and the start of the court process. For residents, that can ease some uncertainty. But it does not mean the case is over. The hard part now moves from identifying suspects to proving the charges. (patch.com) ### What happens next? The next steps are the usual homicide-case ones — arraignment, charging decisions, evidence fights, and eventually either a plea or trial. Police are also still asking for tips, which is a sign they may want more witness statements or corroboration even after the arrests. That is normal in a case that appears to involve multiple people and a fast-moving street confrontation. (fremontpolice.gov) ### Bottom line The news here is simple but important. Fremont police now have two suspects in custody in the February 3 killing, and the case has moved from an unsolved public-safety mystery into the criminal-justice system. The arrest story is almost oddly mundane — a trespassing call cracked it open — but that is often how real investigations work. (fremontpolice.gov) (fremontpolice.gov)