SAN DIEGO — A suspect in a triple murder from 2000 has been taken into custody following a transfer from Mexico, authorities said.

According to the San Diego Police Department, 44-year-old Sergio Lopez Contreras was arrested on Wednesday after being brought across the border by efforts coordinated by U.S. Marshals and Mexican authorities.

Lopez Contreras is the prime suspect in an apartment complex shooting that took place at a residence on Bancroft Street in Normal Heights on the night of Sept. 4, 2000, SDPD said.

Responding officers located three victims at the home. Michael Plummer, 20, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Adah Pearson, 18, and Julio Rangel, a 21-month-old child, were both transported to local hospitals where they both died from their injuries, according to SDPD.

The San Diego Police Homicide Unit responded to investigate the triple shooting and detectives identified Lopez Contreras as the possible gunman. Authorities say the motive for the killings was suspected to be drug-related.

Lopez Contreras, who was 22-years-old at the time of the incident, was believed to have fled to Mexico following the shooting, according to law enforcement. Detectives say they worked with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office to obtain a murder warrant for his arrest.

Lopez Contreras was later taken into custody on unrelated charges in Mexico, which led to his transfer back to the U.S. He was booked into the San Diego County Jail for his warrant.

SDPD says the triple murder suspect is scheduled for arraignment Friday, March 24 at 8:30 a.m.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619)
531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.