Antioch double homicide victims identified, correct ages provided
One man from Oakley, both innocent bystanders
By Allen D. Payton
As previously reported, on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at approximately 10:21 p.m., the Antioch Police Department dispatch center received multiple calls reporting shots fired in the area of D and W. 19th Streets. When officers arrived on scene, they located four victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All were men. Antioch police officers provided aid to the victims at the scene. Two victims died at the scene.
On Friday, September 26, 2025, Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs for the Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, identified the two deceased men as Julio Castaneda, age 33, out of Oakley and Thomas Vega Espinoza, age 42, whose city of residence is unknown
They were initially reported as ages 23 and 37 years old.
Lt. Bill Whitaker confirmed the ages provided by Lee saying, “Those ages are correct. We didn’t have them 100 percent identified, initially. We got a bad name from a family member, and it wasn’t actually the right person.”
“Both were innocent victims and not even the intended targets,” he added.
The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, consisting of Crime Scene Investigators and detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit, responded to take over the investigation. This is an active investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.
Additional inquiries, tips, or information can be directed to Antioch Police Detective John Cox at (925) 481-8147 or by email at jcox@antiochca.gov.
the attachments to this post:
APD Sheriff-Coroner & Crime Scene Do Not Cross – Dbl Homicide
