Street vendor at work in Fresno shot to death. No robbery, no motive yet, police say
A street vendor was shot and killed Friday in central Fresno, police reported.
He was identified by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Jose Rivera, 53, of Fresno.
According to Fresno Police Sgt. Jeff La Blue, Rivera was vending at East Olive and North Farris avenues when a suspect opened fire on Rivera just before noon.
Rivera, shot multiple times in the upper body, was rushed into surgery and was pronounced dead, police said.
Fresno police Captain Dave Ramos said Rivera was riding his bicycle/cart and was confronted by an unknown person — possibly more than one — in a mid-size, dark-colored SUV, traveling southbound on Farris, just south of Olive, when shots were fired.
The suspect vehicle continued southbound on Farris and left the area, Ramos said.
“At this point in the investigation, it doesn’t appear that the motive behind the shooting was related to a street-type of robbery. It doesn’t appear the suspects got out of the vehicle after the shooting occurred, just simply fled southbound on Farris.”
The shooting doesn’t appear to be a random act, Ramos said. He added there was no prior confrontation, “at least here,” and said, “I don’t know if something occurred in the residential area south or north of us prior to the shooting. We don’t have a motive.”
Witnesses told police they’ve seen the vendor in the area recently and he is known in the neighborhood.
It was the 57th homicide in Fresno in 2020, police said.
Witnesses try to help
Thomas Evans of Fresno said he was driving by when his wife told him there was a man laying on the street.
Evans pulled to the side and got out of his vehicle to see what was wrong because “his bike was laying on top of him.”
“Maybe he fell. I really didn’t know,” Evans said. “I lifted the bike off him and people applied pressure to the back of his head.
“It’s sad and people should have more compassion for other people because it seems senseless. When we pulled up, his cell phone was still right there and his wallet was right there. They didn’t take nothing from him. All he was trying to do is make an honest living out here and provide for his family. A lot is going on in 2020, and to add more to some family’s plate, it’s not good.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 1:51 PM.
