Santa Rosa man arrested following fatal shooting in Cotati

A Santa Rosa man was arrested Saturday in connection with a shooting in Cotati that left another man dead, police said.

Samuel Meza was arrested on suspicion of murder about four minutes after fleeing the scene of the afternoon shooting, which took place in the 300 block of East Cotati Avenue, said Cotati Police Sgt. Baudelia Gallo.

Meza, 34, of Santa Rosa, was arrested nearby in the 600 block of East Cotati Avenue, Gallo said.

No information was released about the man who was shot, except that he died later at an area hospital.

On Sunday, Cotati Police said it had been determined that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between the suspect and the victim over an “associated female.”

Multiple 911 callers reported the shooting at 2:29 p.m.

Arriving officers were given a description of the suspect and told the direction in which he had fled. Sonoma State University and Rohnert Park police officers, and Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies were involved in the search, Gallo said.

Gallo said she did not know whether the shooting had taken place in a residence or elsewhere, or where Meza was when he was arrested. She said there were witnesses to the shooting and a weapon had been recovered.

Meza was taken into custody without incident, she said, and there is no active threat to the public in connection with the incident.

Meza faces charges including homicide, child endangerment, felon in possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in public, possession of a large capacity magazine and possession of an unregistered firearm.

The Healdsburg Police Department and Sebastopol Police Department assisted in the investigation.

The case remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Cotati Police Detective Anthony Garber at 707-792-4611.

*Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct a previous version in which the age of the suspect was wrong. Cotati police said Samuel Meza is 34.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 707-387-2960 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jeremyhay