Donald William Breeden
Introduction
Donald William Breeden, an 18-year-old from Greenfield, California, was charged with two counts of murder in the November 2, 2026 shooting deaths of two teenage boys near Moss Landing State Beach and booked into Monterey County Jail on Friday, November 6, with bail set at $2.035 million. The murder counts carry criminal street gang enhancements. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office says Breeden was booked on suspicion of gunning down Marco Antonio Perez, 15, and Nathaniel Flores, 13 — both of Salinas — near Jetty Road in Moss Landing in the early hours of Monday, November 2. The investigation remains active, and detectives say they are still questioning persons of interest.
Background Information
The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday, November 2, along Jetty Road in Moss Landing, a small coastal community in Monterey County. Sheriff’s deputies, California State Parks personnel and California Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of gunfire and found two people who were pronounced dead at the scene. A third person arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound; a fourth person transported from the scene was later determined to have injuries unrelated to the shooting. Both victims attended schools in the Salinas Union High School District, which offered counseling and other resources to affected students, and Flores played youth football for the Steinbeck Tigers.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not tried. Breeden was booked on two counts of murder with criminal street gang enhancements; the allegations are unadjudicated, he has made no public statement and no attorney comment is on record, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The arrest came four days after the killings. On Thursday, November 5, sheriff’s detectives — assisted by the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, the Monterey Peninsula Special Response Unit and California State Parks — served two search warrants: the first around 3 p.m. at a home in the 900 block of Maple Avenue in Greenfield, where three people were detained and the property combed for evidence, and the second around 6 p.m. in the 45000 block of Crown Avenue in King City. No one was arrested during the searches. Breeden was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the county jail on Friday, according to jail records and the Sheriff’s Office.
Booked on two counts of murder, each with a criminal street gang enhancement, Breeden saw bail set at $2.035 million, the Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities have yet to publicly detail what sparked the deadly gunfire, and the office has declined to release additional details — including whether Breeden was among the three people detained at the Greenfield home during Thursday’s warrant service.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Andres Rosas said detectives were continuing to question people considered persons of interest. “At this time, the detectives are speaking to those individuals to try to determine what exactly happened on the morning of November 2nd,” Rosas said. “This is an ongoing active investigation. Our detectives have not stopped working on this case.” Sheriff Tina Nieto thanked community members who came forward with information, adding, “While an arrest has been made, our work is not over. We continue to ask the public for their assistance as we seek justice for Nathaniel and Marco Antonio and their families.”
Public Reaction and Consequences
The case drew national attention with the Post framing Breeden as a “suspected mass shooter” charged in the “slayings of teen boys on California beach,” alongside heavy Central Coast coverage from KSBW, the King City Rustler and Lookout Santa Cruz. In Salinas, the school district offered counseling and other resources to students affected by the shooting, and Flores’s youth football team said it was “heartbroken by the loss of one of our young tigers.” The Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone with information to come forward, with tips accepted anonymously. No statement from Breeden or a defense attorney has been reported.
Current Status
As of November 6, 2026, Breeden was booked into Monterey County Jail on two counts of murder with criminal street gang enhancements, with bail set at $2.035 million. No arraignment date or plea has been publicly reported, and the charges are unadjudicated — he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The Sheriff’s Office describes the investigation as active and ongoing, with detectives continuing to question persons of interest to determine what happened on the morning of November 2, and the department says its work is not over despite the arrest.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Two boys — 13 and 15 years old — were shot dead near a California beach, a third person was wounded, and an 18-year-old now faces two murder counts with gang enhancements before ever entering a plea. The gang enhancements signal how prosecutors are framing the shooting’s context, even as the motive remains publicly undisclosed. With the Sheriff’s Office saying its work “is not over” and detectives still questioning persons of interest, additional arrests or charges remain possible, and the allegations against Breeden will be tested in court as the case moves forward.
Sources
- New York Post, “Teen charged in Moss Landing State Beach double murder,” November 6, 2026. source
- KSBW (Ricardo Tovar), “18-year-old arrested in Moss Landing shooting that killed two teens,” November 6, 2026. source
- King City Rustler, “Greenfield, King City search warrants lead to arrest in Moss Landing double homicide,” November 6, 2026. source
- Lookout Santa Cruz (Tania Ortiz), “Greenfield resident charged with murder in Moss Landing shooting,” November 6, 2026. source
- New York Post on X, November 6, 2026. source