Gun violence in Fresno is on an upswing. Here’s a look at what’s happened this year
Friday’s shooting of a woman at Herndon and First streets in Fresno highlights the problem of gun violence in the City of Fresno.
2021 began with five homicides in its first week, and the city continues to see gun violence at a surging rate.
Crime data released last week by the state Department of Justice showed 2020 to be the most violent year in more than two decades. And, 2021 is outpacing last year.
Here are some of the shooting incidents that made headlines so far this year:
- On New Year’s Day, two men were gunned down outside an apartment complex on East Olive Avenue west of Peach Avenue in the southeast part of town. The victims were identified as Michael Jenkins, 19, and Cruz Garcia, 28, both of Fresno. The shootings were gang-related, police said.
- This week, Frank Sierras, 22, was fatally shot in a parking lot of the Campus Pointe retail area just after midnight Tuesday. He was found in his car which had crashed into a parking structure of the Palazzo at Campus Pointe student housing complex.
- Nikilas Cornwell, 28, was shot to death in southeast Fresno during the early evening hours of April 26, according to police. Investigators said for an unknown reason Cornwell was in a dispute with accused killer Jeffrey Emmett, 27, before he was shot once in the head.
- One day in June saw three unrelated slayings, according to police. Investigators said 40-year-old Kenneth Loftis of Fresno was shot to death at about 5:50 a.m. June 20, on the 2500 block of South Rose Avenue, near Cherry and Jensen avenues. He was at a house party and police have said the killing may have been gang-related.
- A few hours earlier at about 2:12 a.m., Isaiah Williams, 22, of Fresno died after he was shot in central Fresno, police said. Police have not released many details on a motive in that case.
- A third homicide that same day was discovered when Fresno police responded to the Westwood Village Apartments at West Shields and North Valentine avenues around 10 p.m. and found David Medrano of Porterville lying in the parking lot. Medrano had some kind of run-in with an unidentified person prior to being killed, police said.
This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
Thaddeus Miller
Merced Sun-Star