‘Enough is enough.’ Reward up to $21k for tips catching Fresno food vendor killer
Fresno city officials on Monday sent a strong message that violence against street vendors will not be tolerated after one was killed “execution style” on Sunday.
The reward for information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrator grew Monday to $21,000, city officials said.
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama identified the victim as southeast Fresno resident Lorenzo Perez, 45. Mayor Jerry Dyer offered his condolences to Perez’s wife and four children.
Balderrama and Dyer were joined by Fresno City Councilmembers during a news conference Monday morning. Council President Luis Chavez, who represents southeast Fresno where the killing took place, called on the “coward who committed this act” to turn themselves in.
“We will spare no resource in catching you and making sure that you’re prosecuted and removed from our neighborhoods,” Chavez said. “It goes without saying that we condemn and reject all violence, but we also want to send a message as this has become a trend of attacking food vendors in our community. … Food vendors are off limits.”
Balderrama said witnesses described the suspect as a man, possibly in his late teen years or early 20s, weighing around 200 pounds and around 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Trend of food vendor attacks
Perez was the fourth food vendor to be attacked since the start of the pandemic, Chavez said.
Dyer said the attacks contribute to a feeling of uneasiness in the community, and called for security and a sense of safety to return to the city.
“The truth is, whether this is a food vendor or anyone else that was killed in our city, it should create a sense of outrage — and outrage with everyone in our community,” he said. “The fact that sometimes it doesn’t, I think, clearly demonstrates how numb we have become the violence within this city. Enough is enough.”
Balderrama said food vendors are particularly vulnerable because unlike retail staff, they’re not protected by security guards or cameras.
“They’re out there on their own,” Balderrama said. “Who would think that something like this would happen in broad daylight, in the middle of a neighborhood?”
Police said Perez was well known in the neighborhood for selling elote and often accompanied by his daughter.
Chavez and Councilmember Esmeralda Soria set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for Perez’s funeral expenses. The goal is to raise $30,000.
Violent crime up, police resources down
So far in 2021, there have been 20 homicides in Fresno. Thirteen were gang-related, Balderrama said. At this time last year, there were only five homicides, he said.
While the police department has over 830 officers, that number is only on paper, Balderrama said. There are over 60 vacant positions and over 70 people out for long-term absences.
Dyer and Balderrama each highlighted the need for more police resources to prevent such crimes. Balderrama said he is restructuring the police department so more officers are patrolling the community by eliminating certain special units.
While violet crimes plateaued in February, Balderrama said “it only takes one bad weekend for all that to change.”
Not only was Perez killed, three people died in a fiery car crash involving multiple vehicles after one fled from authorities. Also over the weekend, a gunman shot two homeless people, killing one of them. Another man was shot and killed while pumping gas on Saturday.
“It is time to restore the resources within our police department to make sure that they are able to go out keep our citizens safe,” Dyer said, calling on the community to also show support for police officers.
Anyone with information about Perez’s death can call Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 (STOP).
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 12:04 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer spoke to Lorenzo Perez’s wife.