Crime

Update: Men found shot to death in Fresno County town identified. They knew each other

Fresno County Sheriff's Office
The Fresno Bee

UPDATE: The Fresno County Coroner’s Office identified the victims on Monday as Jose Abrego Guardado, 47, and Wilmer Navarro, 24. Both lived in Mendota.

ORIGINAL STORY: Two men were shot and killed early Sunday in Mendota, where Fresno County sheriff’s detectives have taken over the investigation.

Mendota police initially responded to a report of shots fired about 3:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found two people with gunshot wounds outside a home. Both men were declared dead at the scene.

Police turned over the case to Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives. They and crime scene personnel collected evidence at the scene.

The preliminary investigation revealed the two men knew each other, a Sheriff’s Office news release stated, but it remains unclear what led up to their deaths. The coroner has yet to release the men’s names.

Investigators said Monday they are looking for help from residents and business owners who may have had surveillance cameras pointing in the area of Kate and Sixth streets in Mendota.

Anyone with information can contact Det. Aurelio Flores at 559-600-8208. Those who wish to remain anonymous also can contact Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or valleycrimestoppers.org.

This story was originally published September 25, 2022 at 2:46 PM.

Brianna Vaccari
The Fresno Bee
Brianna Vaccari covers Fresno City Hall for The Bee, where she works to hold public officials accountable and shine a light on issues that deeply affect residents’ lives. She previously worked for The Bee’s sister paper, the Merced Sun-Star, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Fresno State.
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