Fight preceded shooting deaths in tattoo parlor, police say; evidence of possible narcotics

A “physical altercation” between double murder suspect Cruz Pablo Hinojosa, 27, and two other men inside the Fresh Ink Tattoo parlor in Fresno’s Tower District had calmed down Saturday night when Hinojosa suddenly pulled out a Glock pistol and shot both men multiple times, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Monday.

Hinojosa, described by the chief as an avid shooter, is accused of gunning down shop owner Pisa Xayapheth, 30, and Jesse Hernandez III, 35, about 10:30 p.m. Saturday night. Hinojosa was booked on murder charges in the slayings as well as the attempted murder of a woman who was also in Fresh Ink when the shooting began. Hinojosa was arrested in Pismo Beach on Sunday morning after his wife cooperated with police in convincing him to surrender, Dyer said.

Detectives investigating the murders also discovered evidence of possible narcotics inside the store, Dyer said during the news conference. He described the substance as a “white powder” that is being analyzed by a crime lab.

Dyer said that along with the possible drug was a “pay-owe sheet,” which is commonly used by drug dealers to keep track of narcotics sales. Police are still investigating who the potential drugs belonged to as well as whether any of those present at the time of the murders was involved in the sales or high on drugs when the shootings took place.

Hinojosa had worked at the shop since April, police reported; Hernandez was employed at the parlor but was not a tattoo artist. The woman was not employed by Xayapeth. Dyer said before the shootings, there was a fight between Hinojosa and the two other men and that it appeared that Hinojosa got the better of the other two before it ended.

A short time later, Hinojosa pulled out the Glock and shot the other two repeatedly. Then he fired at the woman but missed, Dyer said. Hinojosa then walked out of the shop, placed the pistol on the passenger seat of his car and drove off.

Police used some form of technology that Dyer did not describe in detail to determine that Hinojosa quickly left the city. He drove to Pismo Beach, where Hinojosa’s wife was able to convince him to surrender to authorities. Fresno detectives drove to the coast and took him into custody and some time after that, Hinojosa reportedly admitted to the shootings.

Dyer said Hinojosa was an avid shooter who sometimes practiced with the pistol on a daily basis. The Glock was outfitted with a high-tech red-dot sight and a flashlight. The chief expressed surprise that he did not hit the woman in the shop because he was just a few feet away when he fired one round at her.

Hinojosa is being held on a bail of $2.5 million.

The chief described the Tower District as a “pristine” area of Fresno and said that the shootings did not reflect on the district or its community.

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 1:48 PM.