We need justice: Community must help police catch Fresno’s latest mass-shooting killers

The Sunday night shooting in Fresno that left four dead and six injured was the latest jolt to the psyche of both local residents and Americans overall exhausted by such violence.

But the sad truth of Sunday’s shooting is that it was not the first such mass-casualty tragedy in Fresno, even though it made national news as it came on the heels of the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita and occurred a day after a man in San Diego killed his estranged wife, three of their children and then himself.

One of Fresno’s most infamous crimes occurred in 2004, when nine children of Marcus Wesson were found shot to death inside his home. He was convicted of their murders, as well as sex crimes against his children, and was sentenced to death. Refusing to accept an insanity plea, Wesson remains at San Quentin.

In 2017 Kori Muhammad allegedly went on a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, killing three men and attempting to kill three others. He was arrested and later charged with shooting a hotel security guard days earlier and the attempted murder of another security guard. Police said Muhammad was motivated by a hatred of white people; he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His trial is pending.

Fresno police continue to investigate the latest incident in the search for answers. Police Chief Andy Hall said two men entered by a side gate into the backyard of a home in the 5000 block of East Lamona on Sunday evening and began firing into a group of men watching football on television. The victims are Asian, and the chief announced formation of a task force to focus on Asian gangs. Fresno police want to ensure no retaliation occurs in the run-up to the local Hmong New Year events at the end of December.

Left unanswered for now was whether Sunday evening’s incident was related to another shooting that happened earlier in the day, in which shots rang out at a southeast Fresno apartment complex. Randy Xiong, 28, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

Perhaps most importantly, were there any signs that tensions were boiling to the point of erupting with such violence? Hall said the mass shooting was the third incident this month likely involving Asian gang members. Could someone have reported something to help authorities head it off?

It is on this point that people who have details that might help police must come forward and share what they know. Now is not the time to retreat in fear or misplaced allegiance. For the sake of community safety, if you know something, say something. As an incentive, a $5,000 reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers for information that leads to arrests of the suspects.

Wisely, Fresno police also announced that the southeast station would lead efforts to bring healing to that part of town. Officers will go door to door to engage residents about their concerns and calm their fears.

Fresno’s other community leaders — in City Hall, the school district and in churches, synagogues and mosques — would do well to get advice from peers in cities that have experienced mass shootings recently to learn what they did to help their town recover from such an event.

The first step in recovery is mourning the victims and honoring their memory. Then comes justice: The two suspected assailants must be captured and taken to trial. Beyond these immediate measures is ensuring all residents can live in peace and with mutual respect. It is incumbent on each of us to make that our goal for Fresno.

This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 1:13 PM.