Santa Rosa shooting victim had concealed weapon, forgery convictions

A Santa Rosa man shot to death outside his family’s West Steele Lane townhouse this week was on probation for passport fraud and was investigated in a 2011 murder outside a Todd Road meat shop.

The body of Jesus Daniel Sanchez Bastidas, 27, was found Wednesday morning after neighbors reported hearing a woman’s scream and a half-?dozen gunshots. Police believe the killer may have been waiting for Bastidas, who had just returned to his Porsche SUV when he was shot.

The suspect was seen running away toward Apple Valley Lane. No arrests have been made so far.

Detectives have not released a motive for the slaying but a picture of the victim began to emerge Friday from court records.

Bastidas had convictions in 2008 for possessing deceptive government identification and in 2010 for carrying a concealed weapon in a car. Prosecutors dismissed related gang charges and additional firearms-related charges.

He also was convicted of felony forgery last year in a case involving fraudulent passports. He remained at large for a period of time before he settled the case in December for a brief jail sentence and probation.

The passport scam apparently came to light when Bastidas was investigated in connection with the 2011 slaying of Jose Manuel de Jesus, 33, of Santa Rosa outside Carniceria Contreras, a Latino meat shop near Walker Avenue and Llano Road.

De Jesus was killed by four men after arranging a marijuana deal. All four were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.

Lt. Carlos Basurto of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Bastidas was an associate of one of the defendants.

In the process of the investigation into Bastidas, detectives found the fraudulent documents, leading to state and federal charges, Basurto said.

He was not believed to have any role in the slaying.

“It turned out we couldn’t prove anything about him being involved,” Basurto said.

Police are seeking information about the man who shot Bastidas, who was described as a man in his twenties with a “darker complexion.”

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Police Department’s violent crimes team at 543-3590.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.