Homicide detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 40 year old Brandon Engelman, a.k.a. Milkweed, of Coarsegold.
He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on a charge of murder, which carries a bail of $1 million. He is also facing a kidnapping charge, which stems from a separate incident, unrelated to the homicide investigation. That charge has a bail of $100,000.
On the afternoon of April 13th, Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a house located at 5590 W. Olive Ave. in Fresno to check on a possible injured person. Deputies arrived and found a car had crashed through an iron fence and was parked on the front lawn. Inside the car was a man, later identified as 56 year old Pacer Hampton, who was deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.
Homicide detectives arrived on scene and immediately received great cooperation from neighbors in the area. They provided surveillance video, which ultimately revealed images of a possible suspect vehicle. The Sheriff’s Office released photos to the public of the white Chevy Tahoe. Tips about the SUV were called in to our office and given to Valley Crime Stoppers. Simultaneously, detectives had been conducting interviews and learned Brandon Engelman was the likely shooter, who also happened to have access to a white Chevy Tahoe.
On May 11th, search warrants were served at homes in Coarsegold and in the city of Fresno. While in a neighborhood near Ashlan and Marks Avenues, deputies on the Fresno County SWAT team contacted Engelman and placed him under arrest. During the course of the searches, detectives recovered the Chevy Tahoe in question.
This remains an ongoing investigation. Detectives believe others are involved in this crime, however, they are confident Engelman is the shooter. An exact motive has not been determined, but we know this was not a random shooting. Hampton was specifically targeted.
This successful outcome after one month is thanks to the great collaboration between many people and agencies who worked tirelessly. This includes: Fresno County Sheriff’s homicide detectives, its crime analyst, SWAT team, and Crime Scene Unit. Additional agencies are MAGEC (Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium), ACT (Adult Compliance Team), Madera County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone who wishes to share information they believe might be relative to this case is asked to contact Detective Gary Haslam at 559-600-8209. You may also contact Valley Crime Stoppers (559) 498-7867 or www.valleycrimestoppers.org You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.