Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputies shut down parts of Oakdale Waterford Highway, Milnes and Claribel roads around 7:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10 in response to a homicide that may be connected to a home invasion robbery in Hickman that occurred earlier that morning.

A frantic Hispanic male flagged down a passing motorist on Milnes Road, Waterford resident Shaun Barlow, as he was on his way to work in Stockton.

“I was following behind this car and it was smoking pretty bad,” Barlow said, saying there were several bullet holes in the windshield and the hood of the vehicle. “The driver jumped out and flagged me down, saying, ‘Help me, amigo!’ as he pulled a guy from the car.”

Barlow said the driver tried to compel him to put the injured man in his car to take him to the hospital but Barlow, who had some first aid training, laid the man on the ground to check for a pulse.

“He was totally unresponsive,” Barlow said. “As soon as I saw his eyes I knew he was gone.”

Although the age of the deceased has not been released yet, Barlow said the man looked very young.

Andrew Winters, Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, confirmed the deceased as a Hispanic young adult, possibly in his early 20s.

According to Winters, 20 minutes after the call to Milnes Road, dispatch received a report of a home invasion robbery in the 1000 block of Merriam Road in Hickman with a description of the vehicle that was shot.

Another Hispanic male was taken to the hospital for treatment of a serious, but not life threatening gunshot wound to the groin area. The other two Hispanic males who fled the scene with a two-hour head start were located with the help of the Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit with an assist from air patrol.

Although detectives are unsure at this time if the home invasion is gang-related, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the five Hispanic males are gang-affiliated.