Man dies in shooting in front of central Fresno home

A man shot in front of his central Fresno home has died, police said Saturday afternoon.

The shooting of Armando De La Cruz, 57, becomes the 55th homicide of the year in the city, closing in on a 10-year high.

Officers received reports about 8:30 p.m. Friday of a man shot and hurt in the area of Weber and Fruit avenues, according to Lt. Israel Reyes. Police arrived and found De La Cruz on his front porch, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper torso.

He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and initially listed in critical condition but died later in the night.

De La Cruz was sitting on his porch with his roommate, eating dinner, Reyes said, when a unknown suspect opened fire. Witnesses said there were four to five shots before the suspect fled.

No one was able to see the shooter clearly enough to provide a description, Reyes said.

Fresno had 45 homicides in 2019 and 32 in 2018. The 10-year high is 56 in 2017, with only one other year since 2010 seeing more than 50 — the 51 that were investigated in 2012.

This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 10:04 PM.