Mendota homicide: Woman found dead in front of home

A woman was found dead, apparently killed by gunfire, in front of a Mendota home Thursday night.

The victim, whose name was not made public, was 46 years old, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

About 9:50 p.m., Mendota police officers responded to a call about shots fired. They found the woman’s body on Stamoules Street near 5th Street, just east of Highway 33.

Mendota police asked the sheriff’s office to take over the homicide investigation. Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said investigators believe the woman lived in the area and had just arrived to the neighborhood before she was shot.

Shortly after the shooting, Mendota police stopped a car leaving the area of the shooting. Friday afternoon, sheriff’s detectives were interviewing the people detained from that car to determine if they played a role in the shooting or had information about who did, Botti said.

It’s the fourth homicide in Mendota this year; three of the victims have been women.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff’s Detective Adam Maldonado at 559-600-8208 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 (STOP).

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 6:21 AM with the headline "Mendota homicide: Woman found dead in front of home."