Full Notification

Patterson, CA - 

Detectives with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating a late overnight shooting in which a Patterson homeowner fired a revolver in self-defense of her husband who was fighting to keep an intoxicated intruder out of their residence.

On Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 10:20 p.m., Patterson Police Services patrol deputies were dispatched to the 500 block of Ashwood Lane on the report of shots fired.  The reporting party called to say they had received a phone call from one of their female, Mandarin-speaking neighbors to say she had just shot and killed an intruder.  

Law enforcement arrived shortly thereafter, and located an unresponsive, deceased Hispanic adult male down near the entryway to the house.  They immediately established a perimeter to the home address.  Deputies then made a series of public announcements in order to get everyone to exit the residence.  Once they were able to secure the scene, they began conducting their preliminary investigation and initial interviews.  Detectives and crime scene investigators also arrived in order to take control of the case.  

Through the review of external and internal video surveillance footage, and upon taking statements from those who were on-scene and witness to the altercation, it appears 22-year-old Patterson resident Angelo Santana became heavily intoxicated and tried to force entry into the home.  The house belonged to 50-year-old Yuhui Zheng and her husband, 45-year-old Yang Luan.  The husband attempted to physically restrain Santana and was involved in a significant fight near the threshold of the front-door.    

Luan sustained minimal physical injuries, to include abrasions and scratches to the back, while fighting with Santana and trying to defend his home.  Yuhui Zheng retrieved a revolver from the upstairs bedroom, which she had acquired only one-day prior, and in self-defense of her husband, fired all rounds into Angelo Santana.  Investigators have made no arrests in this case, and their preliminary findings are this was an example of strictly self-defense.  Santana was not armed at the time of the shooting.    

Other interviews with those familiar with Santana indicate he had a history of alcohol substance abuse, wherein he would regularly show-up unannounced trying to find friends and acquaintances of his in the same neighborhood.  The homeowners are fully cooperating with our detectives.    

The investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing.  Investigative findings will eventually be submitted to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office for review of the legality of the homicide.  Members of the public are urged to contact Detective Rodriguez at 209-652-0518 should they have any additional information to share.