Man shot and killed at a Fresno apartment. Suspects fled and vehicle caught on fire

A man was shot and killed Saturday evening inside an east-central Fresno apartment, the city’s second homicide of the year.

The incident took place around 6:30 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Winery Avenue where the apartment manager saw on surveillance video three suspects appear to be breaking into an apartment, Lt. Brian Pierce said.

When officers arrived, they found broken glass and a man with a single gunshot wound inside the apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surveillance video also captured images of the suspects’ vehicle that was put out and an officer in the area saw the vehicle matching the description and initiated a traffic stop. The suspects led officers on a pursuit before coming to a stop at McKinley and DeWolf avenues when the vehicle caught on fire in a single-vehicle collision.

Pierce said one person was taken into custody and two others fled the scene.

Violence has been particularly high during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with 74 homicides committed in Fresno during each of the past two years. By comparison, 45 homicides were committed in 2019.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 559-621-7000.

This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 8:20 PM.