Vallejo police have arrested a suspect in last month’s fatal shooting of Stephany Lok Leng Poon, Open Vallejo has learned.
Sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed the arrest on Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Details of the arrest and suspect were not immediately available as of Friday evening.
Reached by phone Friday, Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis told Open Vallejo he had not been made aware of an arrest in the case.
“It hasn’t reached my desk yet,” he said.
On Saturday, the Vallejo Police Department issued a press release naming 27-year-old Omar David Molina Mendoza as the suspect in Poon’s killing. Mendoza, a Vallejo resident, was already in custody at the Solano County Jail on unrelated charges when he was charged with murder, according to police. He is represented by the Solano County Public Defender’s Office, which was not immediately available for comment.
Poon was killed just after midnight on Sept. 6. Vallejo police responded to a collision with reports of gunfire at the intersection of Tennessee Street and Mare Island Way. There they found Poon trapped in the driver’s seat of a heavily-damaged 2005 Honda Accord, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The vehicle sustained heavy damage, and emergency personnel extracted her from the car. Poon was declared dead at the scene.
Friends describe Poon as a bubbly and energetic person. An artist, she enjoyed anime and had an affinity for wearing bunny ears, friends said.
Community members have organized tribute nights at Poon’s favorite hangouts, including a recent karaoke night at Gentleman Jim’s bar and a Zumba class at In-Shape Vallejo Wednesday.
Poon’s loved ones have set up a GoFundMe to provide financial assistance to her family.
This article has been updated to include suspect information released by the Vallejo Police Department the day after this article was originally published.
