Novato man sentenced in fatal warehouse shooting

A Novato man was convicted Tuesday of two shootings that left one person dead and another injured during a warehouse party west of Santa Rosa last year.

In a Santa Rosa courtroom, Sonoma County Judge Robert LaForge sentenced David Jeremiah Morales to 37 years and four months in prison, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office said.

Morales, 21, took a plea deal on July 22 as jury selection was set to begin in his criminal trial. He pleaded guilty to alleged manslaughter and attempted murder, according to Sonoma County Superior Court records.

He was found guilty of shooting 20-year-old San Rafael resident Raul Ramirez Reyes on March 25, 2023. A second man was struck by gunfire and treated at the hospital.

Later that day, Morales was arrested by authorities and prosecutors charged him with murder and attempted murder.

He pleaded not guilty and attended a preliminary hearing in May 2023, where witness testimony revealed the circumstances of the shootings.

Gunfire erupted during a warehouse party at 5575 Hall Road, a rural property just over a mile west of the Santa Rosa city limits.

The property owner told the Press Democrat that the warehouse is used to store farm equipment and off-road vehicles.

His grandson had organized the meeting without permission. It was announced on social media and attended by people the grandson did not know.

Sonoma County Sheriff's investigators said at least 100 people were present.

Testimony at the preliminary hearing indicated that shots were fired approximately ten minutes after a fight between two groups who knew each other.

After the fighting died down and Morales' friends left the warehouse, investigators said, he returned after realizing his $4,000 necklace was missing.

Shots were fired and Morales fled along with his friends and other participants, officials said.

Sheriff's deputies arrived shortly after midnight on March 25 after receiving reports of shots fired and found both victims at the scene.

Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the sheriff's office, the witnesses were uncooperative and one of them was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice.

Hours after the shooting, investigators arrested Morales at an undisclosed location in Vallejo.

Reach staff writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @colin_atagi