A 16-year-old gang member from Modesto was arrested Thursday evening for his role in a Ceres drive-by shooting that occurred earlier in the evening.

The shooting occurred after 7 p.m. in the 1700 block of Richland Avenue. A juvenile told police he was confronted by three known gang members. A verbal altercation ensued and the victim ran away from the suspects. A witness recognized the shooter when he was seen firing a gun in the direction of the nearby apartments before leaving the scene in a black, four-door Volkswagen Jetta.

Ceres Police investigators were able to identify and locate the shooter at his home in Modesto. With the assistance of Modesto Police Department, the teen suspect was arrested at his home at 9:45 p.m. Ceres detectives are still working to identify the two other gang members involved in the incident and locate the involved vehicle that was last seen northbound on Herndon Road in Ceres.

In what is believed to be an unrelated incident, police are investigating a 2:30 a.m. Friday drive-by shooting in the 2200 block of Panero Way in Ceres. Officers located numerous bullet holes in the front of the victim's home and in the victim's vehicle parked directly in front of the residence.

Investigators believe these two shootings are not related but stated they are concerned about the recent rash of gun violence in Stanislaus County.

Anyone with information on the Panero Way shooting is urged to call detectives at 538-5727 or contact Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers for a possible cash reward. Tips may be phoned into 1-866-60-CRIME or texted to 274637 with "TIP704" in the wording.

In addition to seeking information about the recent shootings, Ceres investigators are still looking for information related to the May 3 shooting at the 1900 block of Hollister where a teen was shot in the chest. That suspect vehicle is described as a brown, four-door vehicle, possibly an Acura or Honda. Witnesses or people who were directly involved in the recent shootings should contact Detective Derek Perry by calling 538-5730, or emailing derek.perry@ci.ceres.ca.us.