Father, son from Selma played music together, worked in corrections before fatal shooting

Conjunto fans are mourning the death of Israel Trevino Jr. and praying for the recovery of his son, Israel Trevino III, after the two men were shot outside El Rancho Market in Parlier on Sunday.

The father and son were identified by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, following the arrest of 60-year-old Joe Gomez Jr. of Parlier for the shootings.

By Tuesday, prayers and condolences were coming in “from all over the world,” says Jesse Spindola, a longtime family friend and internet radio DJ, specializing in conjunto — accordion-based bands that grew out of Texas playing traditional Mexican music.

“It hit the conjunto community very hard,” Spindola says.

“We’re a close tight knit family.”

Both men lived in Selma and had jobs with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) as correctional officers. They worked together at the women’s facility in Chowchilla until Trevino Jr. retired three years ago.

But music has always been the passion.

The pair had been performing with the band Los Hooliganz for almost a decade, and had started teasing songs from a new album.

As a family, the Trevinos are third-generation conjunto musicians and have been performing together since the 1980s, when Israel Treviño Sr. started a band with his brothers.

“I created Los Hooliganz to carry on the family tradition, and make my mark in the conjunto world,” Israel Trevino III, or Izzy, told the website Tejano Nation earlier this month.

“My dad is my best friend, and it brings us even closer, sharing the same passion for conjunto music,” he said.

“It’s truly a beautiful feeling being able to share the stage with my father like he did with his, and I will do the same with my son.”

Already, he’s been known to sing a song or two with his daughters, a video of which is posted on the Los Hooliganz Facebook page.

“They’re a musical family,” Spindola says.

Israel Trevino Jr. worked hard to help his son fulfill his dream, and Spindola has no doubt Izzy will be back playing music once he’s recovered from the shooting. He remained in critical but stable condition Monday afternoon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“I know that Izzy is going to make that return back on the stage, one day,” Spindola said.

Spindola will host a tribute to Los Hooliganz, featuring close to 20 songs from the band, during The Conjuntazzo Show at 6 p.m. Thursday on Tejanonetwork.com.

The family has set up a GoFundMe Campaign to help Izzy and his wife.

This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 1:06 PM.