A man points near a street scene of a severe vehicle collision, where cars are visibly damaged and debris is scattered across the road. The focus includes officers surveying the scene and securing the area in a suburban neighborhood under clear skies.
A man asks police how to get to his destination at the scene of Sharmell Mitchell’s homicide on July 16, 2024 in Vallejo, Calif. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

A man has been arrested for the July 16 homicide of Sharmell Mitchell, Open Vallejo has confirmed.

“They arrested him today,” said attorney Melissa Nold, who previously represented Mitchell in connection with the police killing of Mitchell’s brother, Willie McCoy.

The Vallejo Police Department issued a statement regarding the arrest Thursday evening following a call for comment from Open Vallejo. Local detectives and members of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Detail arrested Jacoby Etter, 46, on Thursday in the 4300 block of Malana Way in Rancho Cordova, a city just east of Sacramento, according to Vallejo police. Police said he was booked into Solano County jail on suspicion of murder.

The Solano County Superior Court online docket system had not been updated to reflect arrest or arraignment information as of Friday morning.

Mitchell died July 19 from injuries she sustained in a vehicle collision three days earlier, according to police. She had been riding in a white Isuzu Trooper when gunfire erupted near the car, causing the driver to flee. The Isuzu collided with two other vehicles at the intersection of Tennessee Street and Vervais Avenue. Mitchell, 48, was thrown from the vehicle.

“I’m just very, very thankful that the man is going to be prosecuted, and hopefully we can get some real justice for this family,” Nold said of Thursday’s arrest. “I ask that people pray for the family as they start this journey in the criminal justice system.”

This article has been updated to reflect additional information released Thursday evening by the Vallejo Police Department.

Geoffrey King is the executive editor of Open Vallejo. Prior to founding Open Vallejo, Geoffrey worked as an attorney and journalist focused on free expression, open government, press freedom and privacy. He is a proud native of Vallejo, California.