Man hospitalized after gunfire tears through Mexican food restaurant near downtown Fresno

One person was shot Friday afternoon at a Mexican food restaurant near downtown Fresno, police said.

Officers responded to the Rocio’s Restaurant at Fresno and C streets around 2:50 p.m. for reports of a man shot, according to Lt. Bill Dooley. Officers found a 25-year-old victim who had been shot in a leg. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and was in stable condition.

Officers learned that the victim was inside the restaurant when an unknown man got out of a vehicle and began shooting inside, striking the victim and nearly a nearby couple having lunch.

The man then got back into the vehicle and fled the scene, Dooley said. Moments later, police stopped a vehicle matching the suspect’s vehicle on description on southbound Highway 99 near Jensen Avenue. Two men in the vehicle were detained, Dooley said.

Officers were investigating if the two men were involved in the shooting, and if the shooting was gang related.

The victim was not cooperative with investigators, Dooley said.

This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 5:03 PM.