Suspect in 2020 Fresno homicide arrested in Mexico, police say

A suspect in a 2020 Fresno homicide has been arrested in Mexico, according to Fresno Police.

Damion Salinas, 20, was arrested in Mexico for the suspicion of murdering 36-year-old Joshua Thao.

On Aug. 16, 2020, officers were called to the area of Belmont Avenue and Backer Avenue regarding a victim of a shooting, according to Fresno police. Officers arrived and found Thao with a gunshot wound. Officers and EMS performed CPR on Thao, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers learned that Thao had arrived at the intersection after a family member was involved in a traffic collision. Several friends and family members of both parties involved in the traffic accident showed up at the scene.

An argument started between the two groups when Salinas, armed with a handgun, fired several shots into the group. Thao was struck in the shooting.

Salinas fled the scene of the shooting and eluded arrest by police. In 2022, The Fresno Police Department received an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip advising that Salinas was in Mexico.

On Wednesday, Salinas was contacted in Mexico and arrested on the murder warrant. He was extradited to the San Ysidro Point of Entry and booked into San Diego County Jail, awaiting extradition back to Fresno. He is being held on $1.5 million bail.