Fresno Police make an arrest in unprovoked killing. Victim was gunned down on street

Fresno Police have made an arrest in what department officials said was the unprovoked shooting death of Ralph Rivas, 36, Tuesday morning.

Edward Lemos, 44, was identified by detectives as the person responsible for the shooting and officers made an arrest on Friday in the vicinity of Dakota and Peach avenues. Lemos was booked into Fresno County Jail on a murder charge with a bail amount of $1 million, according to jail records.

Police had responded to a call in the 600 block of East Franklin Avenue just north of Highway 180 Tuesday at 9:35 a.m. and found Rivas in the street suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers and EMS attempted life-saving measures before he was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Neighbors in the area reported hearing three gunshots just before 9:30 a.m

There had been a brief encounter between Rivas and Lemos before the shooting, but police said in a press release that Lemos produced a handgun and shot the victim for no apparent reason.

It was the 55th homicide in Fresno this year.

Investigators continue to search for Lemos’ vehicle, a white 2003 GMC Envoy with black luggage rack. The license plate number is 5DTA687.

Anyone with information on the incident may remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP or can also contact homicide detective Loren Kasten at 559-621-2443 or detective Mark Yee at 559-621-2407 with information regarding the investigation.

This story was originally published September 26, 2021 at 9:15 AM.