12/15/17 - The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of shootings on public roadways, which may be related. On Friday around 7:00 am, a 7th shooting took place as a motorist drove past a vehicle on Dickenson, near Central Ave. The victim heard a loud noise, drove to their destination and found a bullet hole in their vehicle when they performed an inspection. They were not injured. Our office has deployed many additional resources to this case to try and catch the gunman.
Between November 27th and December 15th, there have been seven separate reports of vehicles being struck by gunfire. Five occurred in Fresno County and two occurred in Madera County. Only one case resulted in a person suffering injuries.
Around 6:45 am on November 27, 2017, a vehicle traveling on Madera Ave. (Hwy. 145) near Avenue 8 ½ was hit with bullets. This is in Madera County. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Around 3:30 pm on December 1, 2017, a vehicle traveling on N. Dickenson Ave. near W. Shields Ave. was struck by bullets. This occurred in Fresno County. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Around 4:30 pm on December 1, 2017, a vehicle traveling on N. Dickenson Ave. near W. Shields Ave. was struck by bullets. The driver was also hit. The woman called law enforcement and was treated for her injuries, which were determined to be non-life threatening. This occurred in Fresno County.
Around 4:30 pm on December 4, 2017, a motorist driving on Madera Ave. (Hwy. 145) near W. Barstow Ave. had their vehicle struck by gunfire. This occurred in Fresno County. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Around 6:45 am on December 7, 2017, a vehicle traveling on Madera Ave. (Hwy. 145) near Avenue 6 was struck by gunfire. This is in Madera County. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Around 5:00 pm on December 11, 2017, a vehicle traveling in the area of S. Dickenson Ave. and W. Church Ave. was struck by bullets. This occurred in Fresno County. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Detectives have received some descriptions of the suspect's vehicle, but are not able to release a specific description at this time. The common thread in all reports is the victims said they heard loud bangs as another vehicle passed them, going the opposite direction on the roadway. With the exception of the woman who was hurt, they all later checked their vehicles and found bullet holes.
Fresno County Sheriff’s, Madera County Sheriff’s detectives and California Highway Patrol officers are working together to try and identify possible suspects. In the meantime, all agencies want to warn the public to be aware of these instances and the locations in which they occurred. We encourage all drivers to pay attention to their surroundings wherever they are and immediately report dangerous situations, including possible gunfire on the roadways. Detectives have not determined a motive for the shootings and are considering them to be random.
Anyone with additional information on any of the cases listed above, or even cases not listed, is asked to contact Sheriff’s dispatchers at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward.
