By Gina Yarbrough
Vista, CA–A man was arrested in connection with the homicide of another man found dead near a road in Vista, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.
Deputies took Brian Zarate, 25 into custody and booked him into the San Diego Central Jail for murder.
The Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and identified the victim as 39-year-old Oscar Rodriguez. The preliminary cause of death is gunshot wounds.
According to investigators, it appears Zarate knew the victim but the extent of their relationship is unknown. The motivation and circumstances are still under investigation.
On January 5, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call, just after 12 a.m., of a person down on the road in the 1900 block of West Vista Way.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they located the victim on the side of the road. Deputies had noticed trauma to his upper torso.
The incident is under investigation.
