A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old Elk Grove man shot outside his home just days before Christmas.

Detectives arrested Manuel Cervin of Elk Grove on Tuesday on suspicion of homicide and being a member of a criminal street gang in connection with the Dec. 22 killing of Marc Grimes. Investigators believe Cervin was driving the silver two-door sedan involved in the shooting.

Grimes was shot to death in front of his Laguna Villa Way home. The man who shot Grimes is still at large, as are other suspects in the case.

Elk Grove police spokesman Christopher Trim said Wednesday police have an idea of what led to the shooting, but he declined to provide details, citing the ongoing investigation.

"We don't want to jeopardize anything we've already started," Trim said.

W.L. Bruce said his family is thankful for police efforts to solve his grandson's murder.

"We're grateful for their hard work and dedication," Bruce said. He declined further comment.

Grimes was a 2003 graduate of Laguna Creek High School who went to work for FedEx Ground. His death came a month before he was scheduled to leave for Navy boot camp in Illinois.

He recently had purchased what friends described as a pre-engagement ring for his girlfriend, an Elk Grove resident he had dated for about two years.

Grimes' death was the third homicide in Elk Grove in 2006. It was the first murder since the city broke away from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and formed its own department in June.

Cervin, who is being held without bail in the Sacramento County Main Jail, is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. today.