Man dies at hospital after shooting at central Fresno apartment complex, police say
A 37-year-old man died after being shot Wednesday night in central Fresno, according to the Fresno Police Department.
The shooting happened just before 7:30 p.m. at an apartment complex at West Ashlan and North Fruit avenues, police spokesman Lt. Israel Reyes said.
The man was taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he died, Reyes said.
Another shooting victim was dropped off at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Reyes said. It is unknown if his wounds were related to the shooting at the apartment.
Reyes said police received a seven-round ShotSpotter activation in the 4000 block of North Fruit Avenue and received calls of shots fired.
A woman, Reyes said, called police and said her boyfriend had been shot. Officers found the victim lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
“What we can gather at this time is the female and this individual came to this complex to visit someone, or see someone they’re acquainted with,” Reyes said. “At some point, our victim walked into the pathway area and the girlfriend stayed out here. Several seconds later, she heard multiple gunshots and ran up to the grassy area and discovered her boyfriend had been shot.”
Reyes said it is unknown what led up to the shooting, but “there might’ve been some type of disturbance between our victim and maybe a resident of the apartment.”
At about 7:50 p.m., the hospital staff called police to say another man was shot.
The man, who had multiple gunshot wounds, told officers he was walking in the area and was shot.
A passerby saw a man stumble out of the complex and pulled up to him to ask him if he was OK and he told them he had been shot.
He was listed in stable condition late Wednesday night.
“We don’t know if he came out of the apartment,” Reyes said. “According to the individuals that dropped him off, he was on the outskirts of the apartment. It is possible that it is related but we’re trying to piece it together.”
Reyes said the man was not being cooperative with investigators.
Multiple casings were found near the apartment.
No suspect information had been released as detectives investigated Fresno’s 68th homicide of the year.
There were 45 willful homicides in 2019, according to monthly crime reports posted by the Fresno Police Department, and 32 in 2018.
Fifty-six homicides were investigated in 2017; the only other year since 2010 in which there were more than 50 was 2012, when there were 51.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-7000.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 9:21 PM.
