Man slain in central Fresno shooting identified

A man shot to death Friday in central Fresno was identified by the Fresno County coroner’s office as Michael Der Vartanian, 59, of Fresno County.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested the same day for his alleged connection to the slaying, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. near Mariposa Street and Madison Avenue, a block south of Belmont Avenue and a block east of Fresno Street. Arriving officers found Der Vartanian behind the wheel of a black Mercedes that had crashed into two other cars. Officers saw he had gunshot wounds, and he was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

Police reported that the gunman opened fire on the Mercedes moments after a 16-year-old girl got into the car. The driver sped west on Mariposa and collided with two cars at Fresno Street.

Around three hours after the shooting, officers patrolling the neighborhood saw the 16-year-old suspect, who matched witness descriptions of the shooter given to police. Fresno police arrested him and recovered a pistol they believe was used to shoot Der Vartanian. The murder suspect’s name was not released due to his age. The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 10:14 AM.