Hanford police arrest man in shooting death of Los Banos woman they say he was trying to rob
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- Police arrested 24-year-old Jason Harris in the March 23 killing of Los Banos woman.
- Hanford investigators say Harris tried to rob 25-year-old Sully Cortez Neri, then shot her
- Detectives recovered the suspected firearm; Harris booked on murder, robbery and resisting
An arrest has been made in the Hanford early morning shooting death of Los Banos woman 25-year-old Sully Cortez Neri, police said.
Hanford police said the shooting was reported at 3:35 a.m. Monday at the 500 block of Northstar Drive, following reports of a man and woman involved in an argument and possible gunshots coming from the area.
Police arrived at the scene and found Cortez Neri with at least one gunshot wound. She was taken to the Adventist Health Hanford hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was identified by the police the following day.
According to the Hanford Police Department’s Detective Unit and Street Crimes Unit (SCU), investigators canvassed hundreds of apartments in the area and obtained and reviewed multiple hours of video surveillance.
Investigators believe suspect attempted to rob victim before fatal shooting.
On Wednesday, investigators learned that Cortez Neri had gone to the River Oaks Apartments to meet up with 24-year-old Jason Harris, police said. As Cortez Neri was leaving, Harris tried to rob her of her money, and the victim tried to stop Harris from robbing her. During the altercation, Harris shot Cortez Neri multiple times.
Police said Harris fled the scene, and while his whereabouts were initially unknown, investigators tracked him to the area of 11th Avenue and Cortner Street. Harris ran when investigators attempted to make contact with him, leading to a short foot pursuit.
Harris was taken into custody and was positively identified as the person responsible for shooting and killing Cortez Neri.
Detectives were able to locate the suspected firearm used in the shooting, police said.
Harris was arrested and booked into the Kings County Jail.
Anyone with information related to the case (H2601102) is asked to contact Hanford police detective Escalera at 559-585-2540.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 1:26 PM.
