To catch teen's killer, reward of $18,000 now being offered

An $18,000 reward is being offered for information that will help detectives arrest suspects wanted in a Fresno shooting last week that killed 17-year-old Nick Kauls.

Fig Garden homeowners donated $8,000, with another $5,000 coming from a business owner and $5,000 from Valley Crime Stoppers.

Nick was shot in the head around 11:45 p.m. June 24 near Van Ness and Rialto avenues in Fig Garden as he ran from unknown suspects who demanded his belongings. Nick died Thursday at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno.

“Earlier this afternoon, I spoke to Nick’s mother,” Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said during a news conference Monday evening. “As you can imagine, she’s devastated that her only child was senselessly gunned down.”

Mims shared a message from Nick’s mother, who said, “It’s too bad that rewards have to be offered for people to do the right thing.’ … We are asking that person to do the right thing and deliver your tip to Crime Stoppers.

“You’ll give detectives what they need to make an arrest, provide justice to Nicholas and his family for his senseless death, and be eligible to collect $18,000 in cash.”

Tips can be made anonymously and should made to Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or online at valleycrimestoppers.org.

Mims said it’s unique that a bulk of the reward money came from residents of a neighborhood.

“This is a neighborhood that is a model to others,” Mims said, “about working with law enforcement, about talking to each other, about communicating about what’s going on in their neighborhood. They haven’t had a homicide in that area since 1935. … I’ve always said that crime fighting is a team sport, and the residents of Old Fig Garden are members of that team, and we work so closely together.”

Dean Alexander, a member of the Fig Garden Homeowners Association and Fig Garden protection district, said his community has been deeply impacted by the shooting and is in mourning.

Few additional details were provided Monday about the shooting on the 4700 block of North Sunset Drive, which remains under investigation.

Detectives said Nick was with a friend, who was not identified, when someone in a light-colored, mid-sized SUV pulled up alongside them and demanded belongings.

The teens ran, and someone in the vehicle got out and fired several shots. One struck Nick in the head. Nick’s friend was able to get refuge inside a home.

Mims said the shooting appears to be a “crime of opportunity” and that the victims don’t appear to be targeted.

The SUV drove away on Rialto Avenue. Investigators believe there was more than one person inside the SUV.

Mims said there hasn’t been similar crimes in the area since the shooting.

Mims said the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is working with Fresno police detectives, who were investigating two other attempted robberies and shootings nearby that occurred within 30 minutes of the shooting that killed Nick.

No more information was provided Monday night about those crimes.

Mims said some video surveillance was collected from Fig Garden residents, which helped identify vehicles possibly connected to the June 24 crimes. Anyone with more surveillance footage or information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 559-600-3111, detective Adam Maldonado at 559-231-6944, or detective Adrian Villegas at 559-600-8210.

There’s been an outpouring of support for those affected by the shooting that killed Nick.

Students and community members filled a gymnasium at San Joaquin Memorial High School last Tuesday for a prayer service, and a GoFundMe account set up for Nick’s family had raised more than $80,000 as of Monday.

The GoFundMe page states any remaining funds after paying for expenses related to the tragedy will be used to establish a scholarship at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Nick’s name.

“It truly is devastating,” Mims said, “when you have a victim who was not involved in any criminal activity who, again, appears to be nothing but a model student, a model young man.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 5:16 PM.