Accused gunman in Fresno double gang slaying makes first court appearance

A 19-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting two brothers in a northwest Fresno gunfight made his first appearance Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court.

But the hearing was over in a matter of minutes as the defendant, Domenek Leonard Greenberry, asked for a one-week delay in his arraignment on two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of Willie and Denzel Ford.

In court, family and friends of the victims expressed displeasure, muttering curses toward the shackled Greenberry and saying he didn’t show remorse.

Outside court, they jostled to get in front of television cameras to talk about the senseless killing and the family’s gofundme.com account to help pay for the brothers’ funeral expenses.

The chaotic scene ended when bailiffs made sure they got on the courtroom elevators and left.

Greenberry is accused of shooting the brothers at an apartment complex on San Pablo Avenue near Barstow Avenue, west of Blackstone Avenue, about 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Police say Greenberry, a Fresno gang member originally from San Bernardino, was arrested later that day.

Police said the Ford brothers also were gang members and were armed when they went to an apartment complex to confront Greenberry. One of the slain brothers fired a round at Greenberry, but it’s unclear who fired first, police said.

Greenberry is the brother of former Washington Union High School and University of Houston star football player Deontay Greenberry, who was cut this year by the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks.

Their father, Leonard Greenberry, was shot and killed outside Legion Hall in southwest Fresno on Aug. 24, 2014. Michael Murray Johnson, 50, was convicted of the murder in August. Johnson will be sentenced Oct. 16. He faces life in prison.

Domenek Greenberry faces life in prison if convicted of double murder.

Court records say Greenberry was charged with crimes three times earlier this year. Two of the three cases are unresolved.

In May, he was charged with two felony counts of carrying a loaded and concealed firearm in public. He pleaded not guilty and was free on $17,100 bail.

Two months later, he picked up another felony gun charge, but that case was dismissed in August.

In September, Greenberry pleaded not guilty to two felony domestic violence charges. He was free on $140,000 bail.

Police say the entire Ford family also is involved with gangs, and investigators believe the shootings are not the result of a feud between rival gangs, but rather a dispute within a single gang.

Court records say Willie Ford was released recently from prison after serving a sentence for being a member of a street gang. He was arrested in June 2014 after officers found he was carrying a loaded .22-caliber handgun in a bag of Cheetos. That case was combined with another case from January 2014, in which police arrested Willie Ford after they said he tossed a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun from a car during a police pursuit.

Denzel Ford was arrested at Illinois Avenue and First Street in southeast Fresno on April 19 on charges of carrying a loaded handgun. In a plea agreement last month, he pleaded no contest to the felony charge and was told to stay out of trouble and return in six months with proof of receiving a high school GED. Had he done so, the charge would have been reduced to a misdemeanor.

Their younger sibling, Benzo Ford, 17, was killed July 12 when someone fired into an apartment where he was living in southwest Fresno. The killing remains unsolved.

In court Tuesday, Greenberry was represented by attorney Scott Baly of the Public Defender’s Office. Baly asked Judge Alvin Harrell III to delay the arraignment to Oct. 13 because Greenberry expressed a desire to hire his own lawyer. Baly said he also needed time to determine whether the Public Defender’s Office has a conflict in representing Greenberry.

A memorial to the Ford brothers of candles and balloons on San Pablo Avenue was the scene of a shooting Friday night.

Police say the Fords’ 21-year-old sister was shot in the hand and a cousin was shot in the leg by an unknown gunman while they attended a vigil. On Saturday night, the boyfriend of one of the Fords’ sisters was shot in the leg at Dakota and Brawley avenues west of Highway 99. The two shootings remained unsolved.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Accused gunman in Fresno double gang slaying makes first court appearance."