Fresno mother in shock after daughter fatally shot by boyfriend. ‘She was my everything’
A Fresno mother is in shock after her only daughter was fatally shot Sunday morning by a man who told police the killing was accidental.
Fresno police say Deisha Guzman, 20, was killed by boyfriend Christopher Jordan, 22, inside a room at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Fir Avenue near Herndon Avenue and Highway 41.
Jordan was allegedly handling a handgun he thought was empty, according to police, but it fired.
A single bullet hit Guzman in her lower body as she was lying on a couch. Emergency personnel responded, but she was pronounced dead at Saint Agnes Medical Center.
Guzman’s mother, Jessica Madrigal, spoke with The Fresno Bee about her daughter Tuesday, saying she was the youngest and the only girl in a family that included four brothers.
“She was my everything,” Madrigal said, as she began to cry. “I am going to miss her so much. She was my baby princess.”
Madrigal said her daughter was caring, fun-loving and well-liked by everyone she met. About 150 people came to a vigil held at one of her brother’s homes.
A memorial service is planned for Sept. 8 at Woodward Park Church of Christ.
Guzman, a graduate of DeWolf High School, was about one month away from finishing her coursework at UEI College where she was studying to be a medical assistant. She was excited about starting her new career, Madrigal said.
Guzman began dating Jordan about three weeks ago. He lives in Madera and when he would come to visit, they would sometimes stay in local motels, Madrigal said.
Her first impression of him was positive.“He seemed to be a good kid, respectful and well-mannered,” she said.
But then there was an issue about the gun.
Madrigal visited the couple not long ago while they were staying at the Motel 6 at Herndon and Blackstone avenues. On the counter in the room was a black handgun.
“I saw the gun on the counter and I looked at my daughter,” Madrigal said. “I don’t like guns and I knew my daughter did not like guns, either.”
Jordan quickly told Madrigal the gun was legal and registered. Still, Madrigal felt uneasy. “I was not OK with that,” she said. “And I told them, ‘You guys need to be careful.’”
Madrigal said she doesn’t want to assume Jordan had evil intentions.
“If there is any illness in him, God will know,” she said. “And ultimately God will take care of it. That’s what I chose to believe because it makes me feel a little more at ease. Either way, she is not coming back to me and we’ll have to live with that.”
Boyfriend bailed out
Jordan was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and negligently handling a gun, police said.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said once it receives the police department’s investigation it will determine what charges Jordan may face.
In the meantime, Jordan was released on bail Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 6:07 PM.
