A gun, a Bible and bombs in a 'pigsty.' Police probe southwest Fresno homicide

Fresno police have a person of interest detained in connection with a homicide Thursday night in southwest Fresno, where officers found a gun on a Bible and bombs nearby in a home Chief Jerry Dyer described as a "pigsty."

The victim, identified Friday afternoon as 34-year-old Eric Kahl, was shot to death with multiple rounds near Fig and North avenues, and the suspect, described by the chief as a "person of interest" in the homicide, surrendered to officers late Thursday after a SWAT team was called to the scene.

The chief described a seemingly bizarre situation at the home next to where Kahl was found, where officers served a search warrant and found what appears to be the weapon used in the alleged crime placed upon a Bible. Nearby were a number of explosive devices in a home where "things were thrown everywhere."

There are two houses on the property at 255 and 257 W. North Ave., and Dyer said at least eight people live there: Some lived in the houses, some in an RV, some in a trailer and some possibly in a tree house in the back. Officers also found another explosive device in the kitchen area near a back door to the home at 257 W. North Ave. The department's bomb squad was called in to render the explosives safe.

Dyer said police are not ready to release the name of the man who is being questioned by detectives.

In addition to the multiple rounds that struck the Kahl in the upper torso, other bullets hit the nearby house.

Dyer said detectives have a number of mysteries to solve at the crime scene, including the reason the explosive devices were in the home as well as the motive for the shooting. Neither Kahl nor the suspect appear to have local criminal records, he said.

This story was originally published April 13, 2018 at 11:35 AM with the headline "A gun, a Bible and bombs in a 'pigsty.' Police probe southwest Fresno homicide."