Sheriff investigates death of man west of Fresno

Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the death of a man in his 50s whose body was found west of Fresno Tuesday morning.

The body was discovered about 7 a.m. west of Valentine Avenue on California Avenue, and the California Highway Patrol initially listed the incident as a possible vehicle vs. pedestrian collision. However, the sheriff’s office later took over the case, according to spokesman Tony Botti. Botti said it is possible the man is homeless and the coroner’s office is attempting to determine if marks on his body are consistent with a collision or some other cause.

A witness at a nearby home told deputies that she saw a man pushing a shopping cart on California about 3 a.m. and shouted for him to get out of the roadway so that he would not be struck by a vehicle.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Sheriff investigates death of man west of Fresno."