Fresno homeowner finds stranger inside his garage dying from gunshot wounds

A Fresno resident returned home Sunday afternoon to find a dying man in his garage, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to Lt. Jose Salinas, at around 3 p.m. deputies received reports of a man with gunshot wounds in a home in the 5200 block of East Belmont Avenue near North Peach Avenue, within a county island just south of Highway 180.

Deputies arrived and found the victim. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

He was identified Monday as Alphonso Marcus Durazo, 48, of Fresno.

The homeowner told deputies he found the man in his garage after returning home but he did not know him.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office on Monday afternoon, the home is divided into many rooms and several renters live there. Homicide detectives are working to identify those residents along with people who visit the home on a regular basis to interview them. It is unknown if Durazo lived at the home.

Durazo used to be involved in gangs and it appears some of the tenants have active gang ties, the sheriff’s office said.

No arrests have been made.

It was the 18th homicide in Fresno County in 2019, according to the sheriff’s office.

Anyone with information about the victim or the home where he was found is asked to contact detective Jose Diaz at 559-600-8204 or Crime Stoppers at 559-600-8204.

This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 8:13 PM.