Victim found dead with gunshot wounds in car identified as 56-year-old Fresno man
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday morning that the victim found in a car on Olive Avenue just west of Fresno on Tuesday died after suffering gunshot wounds.
The victim was identified as 56-year-old Pacer Hampton of Fresno.
It’s the first homicide of the year in unincorporated Fresno County.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday from a neighborhood service worker who noticed a man inside a car who appeared to look slumped over or asleep at the wheel.
Deputies and EMS firefighters arrived at the scene near North Polk and West Olive avenues and confirmed that the man inside the car was dead and suffered trauma to the body.
Fresno County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said the victim’s injuries did not look like they were sustained from a car crash.
“(The witness) said he saw a car in the driveway that he didn’t recognize,” Botti said. “It appeared that it had crashed through the fence, parked in the front yard and there was a man inside.”
Deputies did not immediately know how the man died or how long the dead body had been inside the vehicle, Botti said.
Botti said investigators had spoken briefly to the property owners, who told deputies that they actually live elsewhere.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone wanting to share information is asked to contact Detective Gary Haslam at 559-600-8209 or Valley Crime Stoppers 559-498-7867.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 3:10 PM.
