Norteño and Sureño street gangs,Tuesday's shooting was a retaliation to Sunday's homicide

Vacaville police have linked the shooting that claimed the life of 18-year-old Gumercindo "Joel" Pena on Sunday to a suspected retaliation shooting Tuesday night and authorities say that both are likely gang related.
Police identified the victim of the second shooting as 20-year-old Jose Rosales of Vacaville. Rosales suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville at about 8 p.m. Hospital staff notified authorities about Rosales' injury, who was then transported to a Sacramento-area hospital for further treatment.

According to Vacaville police Sgt. Jeff King, "Tuesday's shooting was a retaliation to Sunday's homicide," and one of a number of identified acts of violence between the Norteño and Sureño street gangs through the years. The rivalry between the two gangs has been ongoing for more than 20 years, King said, but sometimes the violence between the groups is more visible than others.

In a press release issued Thursday by the Vacaville Police Department, police identified Rosales as a known Sureño gang associate who has had "numerous contacts" with authorities. In addition to a past arrest on minor charges, police said that Rosales has also been in contact with known Sureño gang members.

Police have not confirmed the exact location of Tuesday's shooting and said that Rosales has changed his story about the events surrounding and leading up to it several times. Rosales has been unable or

unwilling to identify the person who shot him to detectives investigating the case, police said.
According to authorities, Rosales' injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to be released from the hospital soon.

While police do not consider an "associate" in the same realm as a full-fledged gang member, King said that it's only "one step away."