Woman shot to death identified by Fresno police. Homicide detectives seeking witnesses
A woman who was shot and killed Monday evening in southeast Fresno was identified by police Tuesday as 35-year-old Monique Horton.
Police said Horton was shot around 9:18 p.m. inside a vehicle at the Ranchwood Condominiums in the 1100 block of South Winery Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds to her upper body. She was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Detectives learned Horton was driving the vehicle with another passenger when an unknown person fired multiple gunshots towards them, striking Horton while inside the complex. Both sides of the vehicle was struck.
The passenger in the vehicle, Horton’s boyfriend, was not struck. He remained on scene and was cooperating with officers.
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“It appears from the initial information that the shooter was possibly on foot, and used a high-caliber rifle to discharge numerous rounds in her direction, and the vehicle was struck as well,” Fresno police Lt. Paul Cervantes said in an update Tuesday.
Cervantes said it appeared the shooting was gang-related and added Horton does not have any gang ties, but her boyfriend does.
“We don’t believe that Ms. Horton was the intended target,” Cervantes said. “At this point, we can’t say the boyfriend was the intended target as well. Those are some of the leads the detectives are following up on.”
Cervantes said Horton didn’t live at the complex, but her boyfriend’s mother lived there.
Detectives are attempting to locate witnesses and video surveillance.
It was Fresno’s seventh homicide of 2022, Cervantes said Tuesday.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact police at 559-621-7000 or can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867; homicide detective M. Berumen at 559-621-2443 or detective V. Miranda at 559-621-2452 with information regarding this investigation under Fresno PD Case# 22009024.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 1:32 PM.
