Victim in central Fresno homicide identified. Suspect fled in white SUV, police say

A man who was killed in a shooting off Broadway Avenue in central Fresno on Tuesday morning has been identified.

Police on Wednesday said Ralph Rivas, 36, was killed in the incident near Franklin Avenue north of Broadway.

The shooting happened just before 9:30 a.m. as officers responded to calls of a possible gunshot victim. Officers arrived and found Rivas in the street with a single gunshot wound. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives believe that Rivas was visiting someone in the area when he was shot. A suspect was seen leaving east out of the area driving a white or light-colored SUV, police said.

At least one car was stopped in the middle of Franklin. It had a flat tire. Police couldn’t say if or how it was involved in the shooting.

It was Fresno’s 55th homicide of the year.