‘Worst apartment complex in Fresno?’ West Shaw residents react to label after slayings

Residents of West Shaw Estates, where two people were shot to death Monday, are divided in their views about being labeled the “worst apartment complex in Fresno,’ a term Fresno police Lt. Carl McKnight used to describe the area in the aftermath of the gun violence.

Two gunmen are sought in the shooting.

The Estates consists of dozens of fourplexes along Fairmont and Holt avenues, just south of Shaw Avenue and east of Marks Avenue. Built about four decades ago, many of the units were sold as condominiums, often to buyers making their first venture into the real estate market.

Over the years, many of the units have been turned into rental properties with about 180 separate owners, according to Mark Standriff, a spokesman for the city of Fresno. The number of owners adds to the complexity for police and city officials responding to problems, both Standriff and Police Chief Jerry Dyer say.

As the summer heat began to spiral up Wednesday morning, Hector Garcia stood in the doorway of his unit, just yards from where multiple gunshots rang out Monday. He shrugged off the “worst complex,” rating.

“Reedley is just as bad,” said Garcia, who has lived in West Shaw Estates for about four months.

Down the street on Holt, Greg, (who did not want to provide a last name), a retired Greyhound bus driver, held his small black dog and expressed irritation with the lieutenant’s description of the neighborhood. But he was also angry about the reckless gunfire he had seen nearby.

“Seriously? Thanks for the bad publicity,” he said. “It made it sound like I live on skid row.”

But he’s seen four shootings in a little over a year.

A week before the double homicide, Greg said someone in a car “opened up with a 9 millimeter” shooting up a “No Parking” sign.

“I had to tell the (arriving) cop that he was driving through the crime scene (and) over the shell casings,” he added.

Greg said he gets along with his neighbors on Holt, but there were problems with other people who lived several hundred yards away on Fairmont Avenue.

“Get an education,” he said, adding that shooters don’t seem to realize they are handling deadly weapons.

“They act like it’s a video game: Shoot, kill, reset,” he said.

East on Holt, a man who speaks only Spanish named Fausto said he has lived in his son’s apartment in the Estates for about 15 years. Fausto is a native of Jalisco, Mexico.

“Muchos balazos,” he said with a shrug. “Many shootings.”

Melissa, who also lives on Holt and didn’t want to provide a last name, felt the “worst complex” description was unjustified.

“Anywhere, anyplace, any town or state,” she said, comparing violence and shootings where she lived with other places.

“Most of the shooting is in the air,” she added.

“I just moved back from Madera, and it’s the same,” she said.

This story was originally published August 1, 2018 at 2:17 PM.