The 29-year-old Manteca man arrested as a suspect in connection with the shooting death and crash of an Amazon big rig driver along I-5 in Lathrop earlier this month appears in court today.

Andrew Christopher Watson was arrested Saturday in Manteca by the CHP on suspicion of homicide.

On June 15 at around 12:46 p.m., Ilkhom Shodiev, 37, from North Carolina was driving northbound on Interstate 5 near Lathrop in an Amazon big rig when, for unknown reasons, was shot. The shooting sent the big rig off the freeway and into parked cars at a nearby business before crashing into a building.

Shodiev was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound and later died.  

After the incident, CHP officers at the Stockton office responded to scene and called out CHP Valley Division investigative services unit to investigate the incident. Over the course of the next week, investigators spoke with witnesses, gathered surveillance camera footage, and received additional help from the public to identify the vehicle and Watson.

It was not Watson’s first arrest. Going back to 2013, he has been convicted of a felony, six misdemeanor charges, and four traffic charges.

Shodiev was married and had two children .

He and his wife moved to the United States from Tajikistan four years ago.

CHP is still investigating what the motive was, but believe Watson was alone in his car at the time of the shooting.