Seventh suspect arrested in Fresno mass shooting. Federal, state murder charges filed
A seventh suspect has been arrested and will face murder charges in the deaths of four men who were gunned down while attending a November party in Fresno.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday said Ger Lee, 27, is being held in Minnesota and is awaiting extradition to California.
News of Lee’s arrest came late Thursday in a release sent by the District Attorney’s Office. Details of how Lee was taken into custody were not immediately available Thursday.
Lee and the other suspects are accused in the Nov. 17 shooting deaths of Kou Xiong, 38; Xy Lee, 23; Kalaxang Thao, 40; and Phia Vang, 31, in the 5300 block of East Lamona Avenue.
Police said the shooting, which also injured six people, was intended as gang retaliation, but they do not believe any of the victims were gang members, and thus they were mistakenly targeted.
That evening, family and friends had gathered in the backyard to watch a football game on television when several members of the gang burst in and began shooting.
Police are still seeking a person of interest in the case named Sia “Giant” Vang, 23,.
Federal and state charges filed
The suspects are allegedly members of a gang called the Mongolian Boys Society. The District Attorney’s Office on Thursday filed felony charges in Superior Court against four of the seven accused men: Lee, Anthony Montes, 27, Porge Kue, 26 and Billy Xiong, 25.
The men, all from Fresno, are charged with four counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and 12 counts of attempted murder. The murder charges also include special circumstances, including committing multiple murders, and killing for the benefit of a street gang.
If convicted, Lee, Montes, Kue and Xiong face the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said her office is reviewing whether to push for the death penalty. A decision will be announced at a later date.
Defendants Montes, Kue and Xiong are expected to be arraigned in Department 31 in Fresno County Superior Court on Friday.
Meanwhile, three of the seven accused men were charged Thursday in U.S. District Court: Pao Vang, 30, Jhovanny Delgado, 19, and Johnny Xiong, 25. They face federal charges for conspiracy to commit murder in the aid of racketeering.
Federal prosecutors allege the defendants, who are members or associates of the gang, attended a meeting where the plans for the attack was developed. That plan included who would be the shooters. Vang, Delgado and Johnny Xiong understood the objective was to shoot people at the home in the 5300 block of East Lamona Avenue, according to prosecutors’ accusations.
Vang, Delgado and Johnny Xiong were also allegedly designated as lookouts and posted themselves on street corners near the home to report the presence of police.
If convicted on the federal charges, Vang, Delgado, and Johnny Xiong each face up to 10 years in prison.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 5:44 PM.
