Local News

The Medford Police Department has arrested a White City man for a homicide that occurred nearly six years ago. MPD detectives arrested 27-year-old Raul Meza-Solorio for the 2017 murder of Christian Barajas, who was 23 years old at the time.

On the day before Thanksgiving 2017, MPD officers were dispatched to a drive-by shooting in the 300-block of Chestnut Street. Officers arrived at the scene less than two minutes after the call and found Barajas deceased on the side of the road.

The results of an autopsy indicated Barajas had been shot four times, resulting in his death. Over the next several days, investigators interviewed numerous people and obtained video surveillance of the events leading up to the deadly encounter.

Detectives said Meza-Solorio was identified early in the investigation as a person of interest. Search warrants were executed at his home and the vehicle believed to be involved in the shooting, but there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest. Uncooperative witnesses would not divulge key information, so the investigation went cold. The case has remained a top priority for MPD for the past six years.

Over the last several months, new information was discovered that implicated Meza-Solorio as the sole suspect in the homicide. This information led detectives to the 3,000-block of Avenue C in White City where the suspect was arrested.

Raul Meza-Solorio was interviewed and then lodged at the Jackson County Jail on a single charge of 2nd-Degree Murder. The family of Christian Barajas has been notified of the arrest. The Jackson County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case for prosecution.