Suspect in deadly shooting in Reedley appears in court

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- David Cedeno was in a Fresno County courtroom Wednesday, six weeks after Missouri police caught up with him following his disappearance in the wake of a fatal shooting in Reedley.

Cedeno's arraignment was also delayed to allow him to clear quarantine after his extradition

"We pled not guilty, denied any priors or enhancements and requested discovery," says Defense Attorney Steve Smith.

Cedeno is accused of fatally shooting Elizandro Diaz Jr. back on April 13th. Diaz was on a break from work when he stopped at the Oaks Mini Mart to get some snacks.

RELATED: Man shot and killed after argument in Reedley, police say

That's when store security cameras caught the two in a verbal argument just before the gun violence.

Police say following the altercation, Cedeno got into his vehicle and followed Diaz back to the parking lot of Bravante Produce.

Cedeno, according to investigators, then fired multiple rounds, striking Diaz in the lower torso.

Diaz was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

"In a serious case like this, it takes a while to pull together all the investigation, the forensic stuff, the witness statements, body cam footage," Smith said. "There are lots of pieces of evidence that we have to accumulate as we start developing our defense."

Smith is still reviewing the evidence but has not ruled out the possibility of trying to settle the case before it reaches trial.

"The District Attorney's office, on these kinds of cases, doesn't tend to offer resolutions, he said. "We have to develop our theories, figure out the evidence and we'll present that to the District Attorney's office and begin this process."

Investigators believe the shooting was gang-related and claim both Cedeno and Diaz had gang ties.

Cedeno is expected back in court on August 11.