Women die in late-night shootings at Fresno apartments. Police think they have a suspect
Update: Saturday, 4 p.m. The suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Deandre Foster and the victims have been identified as Charlotte Ethridge, 21, and Michelle Johnson, 50, both of Fresno.
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Two women were shot and killed late Friday night in Fresno’s 24th and 25th homicides of the year, with police saying they may know the identity of the assailant.
Most details — including the identities and ages of those who died and a description of the potential suspect — remained confidential or under investigation as detectives worked into the early-morning hours in and around an apartment complex in the 3200 block of East Olive Avenue.
The complex is near First Street, just northeast of the Highway 180 and 41 interchange.
“There’s a lot of investigating we need to do,” Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes said shortly after midnight Saturday, offering a no comment on what, if any, motive had been determined.
911 callers trigger response
Multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting victim came in about 11:25 p.m. Friday, according to Cervantes.
Officers arrived and found a female suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the breezeway of the complex, Cervantes said. While providing aid to her, they became aware of another possible victim inside an adjacent apartment.
A sweep was made and a second female who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds was found, Cervantes said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The other female was taken to the hospital, where she died a short time later.
There was no indication that the assailant was still in the area, police said. Per standard protocol, investigators were canvassing the area for witnesses and any potential surveillance video.
“We believe that we may potentially have someone ID’d” as the suspect, Cervantes said. “But we’re still working on it.”
No ‘imminent’ threat
In a bid to comfort anyone who lives in the complex or nearby, the lieutenant said there was “no reason to believe that anybody is currently in imminent danger.”
“We believe the suspect has left the location.”
No weapon was recovered, but police said it appeared a handgun was used.
Investigators were bracing for what already was a late night at the complex to drag on for several more hours.
“A call of this gravity is going to take an extensive period of time” to investigate, Cervantes said.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 559-621-7000.
This story was originally published April 10, 2021 at 1:38 AM.
