Man, 52, shot to death, his mother wounded in Calwa

A man whose brother was shot to death and whose mother was gravely wounded in the same incident early Monday in Calwa pleaded for help finding those responsible.

“They just opened fire,” Miguel Castor said in Spanish. “I don’t know why. We don’t have enemies.”

The slain man was Castor’s older brother, Jesus Castor, 52, a farmworker. His mother, whom Miguel Castor identified as Socorro Castor, 77, was in critical condition at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where she was being treated for a gunshot wound to the neck.

Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Botti said the incident happened just before 2 a.m. as Jesus Castor, his mother and an 18-year-old niece were walking on the 2400 block of South Tenth Street.

When they crossed paths with a group of four or five men, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at close range. The niece was able to run to a nearby home and tell residents to call 911. Jesus Castor died at the scene.

Botti said detectives are trying to find a motive for the shooting.

Miguel Castor said his family members were walking to a store when they encountered the group of men. He said his family exchanged no words with the group before someone opened fire.

Castor said his family, which has lived in the Calwa area for several months, did not have any hostile encounters with others before the shooting.

Miguel Castor said the shooting has left him traumatized.

“All day, I have been crying for her,” he said of his mother. He is also uncertain how to handle funeral arrangements for his slain brother and expenses to care for his wounded mother, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, who has lived in the United States for 29 years.

“We have no money, no help. I don’t know what to do.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Man, 52, shot to death, his mother wounded in Calwa."