Convicted Concord Felon Arrested In Walnut Creek Shooting

CONCORD AND WALNUT CREEK, CA — A Concord man was arrested on multiple charges after a recent shooting in Walnut Creek, police said.

The shooting was reported at 7 a.m. July 11 in the 1600 block of South Main Street. Dispatchers received a 911 call about a shot being fired by one person toward another, police said.

The victim was not struck by gunfire and was not injured, according to police.

Police believe it was an isolated incident and that no other people in the area were at risk.

Later that day, detectives tracked Joseph "Jose" Cavazos, 66, down in Concord and arrested him in connection with the shooting.

The Walnut Creek Police Department presented the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, which filed the following charges July 12 against Cavazos: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, possession of a firearm with violent prior convictions, and a special allegation for prior serious felony.

According to the court documents, Cavazos was convicted in 2007 of lewd and lascivious acts in 2003 with a child younger than 14. Because of that prior violent conviction, it is illegal for him to have a firearm.

Cavazos remained in custody early Wednesday morning, with his bail set at $870,000. He was scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing at 8:30 a.m. in front of Judge David Goldstein.

The Walnut Creek Police Investigations Bureau was continuing to follow up on additional leads and asked anyone who might have any information related to this incident to call Walnut Creek Police at 925-943-5844.