The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department dive team, operating in conjunction with the Turlock Police Department, is searching the lake at Donnelly Park for a gun used in a recent murder.
The gun is believed to have been used in a recent murder involving a young man who was shot while he was driving his car, officials said.
The statement lines up with the Nov. 6 murder of Amritpal Singh Sandhu, 21, of Modesto, following an extended car-chase shooting. Sandhu called 9-1-1 to report that men were shooting at him on Highway 99, and was later found dead in his car in Downtown Turlock.
Pardeep Singh, 21, and Kultar Singh Dhatt, 22, both of Turlock, have been charged with the murder of Sandhu. Singh also faces charges of assault with a firearm, and shooting at an inhabited dwelling or occupied car.
The dive team is currently using a metal detector to locate the gun, believed to be the murder weapon, at the bottom of the lake.
Turlock Police Department spokesperson Mayra Lewis said the activity is not a training exercise, and that the dive team is looking for evidence concerning an ongoing investigation. She could not comment as to the specific investigation.
According to a TurlockCityNews.com source, Turlock police were set to drain the pond in search of evidence, before the Sheriff's Department offered the dive team.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has yet to return requests for comment.
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