Court records show how Fresno street gang planned mass shooting that killed four
One of the suspected gang members accused of murdering four people in southeast Fresno told detectives it didn’t matter if the group didn’t get their intended target – they wanted revenge, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Fresno on Thursday, provides a detailed look at how the alleged members of the Mongolian Boys Society carried out their violent plan for gang retaliation on Nov. 17. Detectives said two gunmen snuck into a backyard football watch party and started shooting. After the gunfire stopped, four people were dead and six others injured.
The gang members believed they were avenging the death of one of their members’ brother, who was killed earlier that day, according to the complaint.
Seven people have been arrested and charged with state and federal crimes, including murder, attempted murder and killing for the benefit of a street gang. Charged in state court are Ger Lee, 27; Anthony Montes, 27; Porge Kue, 26; and Billy Xiong, 25.
Three others face charges in federal court. Johnny Xiong, 25, along with Pao Vang, 30, and Jhovanny Delgado, 19, are charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering.
Federal criminal complaint details
Johnny Xiong told investigators the victims didn’t have to be “gangsters“ and that “at least one person” of the family who lived there is “affiliated” with their hated rival, Asian Crips.
“Xiong didn’t know who was an AC (Asian Crip) affiliate, but knew that the person was not one of the victims,” according to the complaint. “Xiong stated that another innocent bystander ‘took (the AC affiliate’s) bullet for him.’”
Killed that night were Kou Xiong, 38; Xy Lee, 23; Kalaxang Thao, 40; and Phia Vang, 31. They along with others gathered to watch football on TV at a home in the 5300 block of East Lamona Avenue.
State and federal prosecutors allege the gang was seeking revenge when they burst into the backyard party. Earlier that day, police responded to the shooting of a man in the 3900 block of East Dwight Avenue Avenue. The victim, Randy Xiong, 28, of Fresno, was the brother of an alleged Mongolian Boys Society member, Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall said Tuesday.
The suspects, Hall said, believed the shooter was an Asian Crips member and that the party on Lamona was being attended by gang members from that group.
The 17-page complaint, prepared by Fresno police officer Cory Hastings, a member of the FBI’s Safe Street Taskforce, describes how high-ranking gang members called a meeting at a house in the 5700 block of East Pitt Avenue to plan a response to Randy Xiong’s death.
The gang members used Google maps to identify homes they believed were hangouts of the Asian Crips. Once they picked a target they chose the shooters, lookouts and a driver, according to the criminal complaint.
Assigned jobs for the attack
Vang, Delgado and Xiong were selected as lookouts, posting themselves on the edges of the neighborhood to watch for police.
Hastings said in the complaint it was clear the three men knew exactly what was about to happen.
Delgado told detectives once a gang member was assigned a job, he couldn’t refuse. If he did, he would be “checked” or beaten, according to the complaint.
After the target house was picked, one of the gang members pulled two handguns from a black duffel bag: a .40 caliber Glock handgun and a fully automatic 9 mm handgun, defined under federal guidelines as a machine gun, the complaint states.
Hastings said in the court document the gang’s leaders didn’t specifically know who was going to be at the Lamona home but picked it because they had seen alleged gang members or associates there at various times.
After leaving the planning house, it didn’t take long for the shooting to happen.
“About 10 minutes later, co-conspirator 3 calls co-conspirator 4 and said it was done,” according to the complaint.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 1:18 PM.
