Suspect arrested in fatal shooting near Modesto Airport

A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of 38-year-old Modesto resident Matthew McDonough on Thursday, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday.

Suspect Matthew Douglas Cook, 39 and from Modesto, was located by detectives with the Special Investigations Unit on Friday afternoon outside a home near the intersection of Coffee Road and East Coolidge Avenue.

The shooting investigation determined Cook confronted McDonough while the men were driving separate vehicles near the intersection of Mitchell Road and South Riverside Drive near the Modesto Airport, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

Cook leaned out of his car and fired into McDonough’s, fatally wounding him, the news release says. McDonough had an adult female passenger, who was uninjured. All involved parties were known to one another, the Sheriff’s Office said, and Cook quickly was identified as the alleged gunman.

Detectives had a Ramey arrest warrant for Cook, who was taken into custody without incident. A Ramey is an arrest warrant issued to police by a judge before the prosecutor has filed formal charges.

The firearm used in the homicide remains outstanding. No one beyond Cook has been identified as having a role in the homicide, the news release says, but investigators still are working to exclude the involvement of any others as accessories, accomplices or co-conspirators.

Cook was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on one count of homicide. He is being held on a zero bail status and will make an initial appearance at the Stanislaus County Superior Courthouse for arraignment on Tuesday.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Blewett at 209-525-7083. Callers also may remain anonymous by submitting tips to Stanislaus County Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.

A gofundme.com account, titled “Matthew ‘Red’ McDonough,” has been created to help his family with funeral expenses.