Smoke shop robbery suspect who was in standoff with Fresno police charged with murder

Police have arrested the man they believe killed Sarah Hamm in a Fresno apartment on Monday.

David Hernandez was taken into custody following a standoff Monday night and on Tuesday was charged with murdering the 41-year-old woman.

He is currently in custody at the Fresno County Jail, according to a statement from the Fresno Police Department.

Hernandez became a suspect in the homicide following a series of other crimes including a robbery and carjacking at the Cali Smoke Shop in a shopping center at Champlain Drive and Perrin Avenue in northeast Fresno. That led to a nearly six-hour standoff with police.

Evidence seized at the scene of the standoff, along with that from the apartment where Hamm was shot, linked Hernandez to the killing, police said.

Police previously said that the two knew each other; they now say the two had dated.

Hernandez has an extensive criminal history, police said. Most recently, he was arrested July 5 on suspicion of a DUI, driving with a suspended license and battery.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-2441 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.

This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 12:22 PM.