Samuel Rojas, Joanna Mendoza face more allegations in Winton shooting, records show

The man arrested after a shooting in Winton last month faces more allegations than the attempted murder charge first announced, including firing a gun on purpose and having a prior serious or violent felony conviction, according to booking records obtained by Merced Neighbors.

The woman arrested with him is now also being held on suspicion of drug possession and a probation violation, the records show.

Merced Neighbors requested the records under the California Public Records Act. The Merced County Counsel’s office released the booking cards for both people on Nov. 9 but withheld the incident and case reports, saying the investigation is “still active and pending.”

The shooting

Deputies were sent to the 7000 block of Shaffer Road in Winton at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for a report of a possible shooting, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said. They found a person with a gunshot wound, who was taken to a hospital.

Deputies named Samuel Rojas, 44, and Joanna Mendoza, 25, as persons of interest and asked nearby agencies to look for them. Turlock police found and detained both at about 11 p.m., and Sheriff’s investigators took them into custody, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released the victim’s name or condition, or said what led to the shooting.

From the booking records

This is Merced Neighbors’ summary of the two booking cards, not a copy of them.

	Samuel Rojas, 44	Joanna Mendoza, 25
Booked	Oct. 21, 5:19 a.m.	Oct. 21, 8:05 a.m.
Address listed	Livingston	Not shown
Held on	A Ramey warrant	A felony arrest warrant
First allegation	Attempted murder	Accessory after the fact
Added Oct. 23	Assault with a semiautomatic firearm; personally and intentionally firing a gun; using a gun in a felony; a prior serious or violent felony conviction; factors in aggravation	Possessing a controlled substance (misdemeanor); factors in aggravation
Added Oct. 26		Probation violation
Released?	None listed as of Nov. 2	None listed as of Nov. 2
Bail	Not shown	Not shown

A Ramey warrant is an arrest warrant a judge can sign before charges are filed. A prior serious or violent felony conviction can lengthen a sentence under California’s “Three Strikes” law, and factors in aggravation are circumstances a judge can weigh toward a longer sentence.

Allegations on a booking record aren’t the same as charges filed in court. Rojas and Mendoza are presumed innocent unless convicted.

What’s still unknown

• Whether the Merced County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges, and which ones
• The victim’s name and condition
• What led to the shooting, and how Rojas and Mendoza are connected to the victim
• Their next court dates

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 209-385-7547 or email SheriffTips@countyofmerced.com.

Sources: Merced County Sheriff’s Office booking cards for Samuel Rojas and Joanna Mendoza, printed Nov. 2, 2026, and a Nov. 9, 2026 letter from the Merced County Counsel’s office, both released to Merced Neighbors under the California Public Records Act. Merced County Sheriff’s Office post.