USA TODAY International Edition
Gang link probed in Fresno mass shooting
FRESNO, Calif. – Police are investigating whether there’s a connection between an increase in local gang activity and the shooting Sunday night that left four people dead and six wounded at a backyard football- watching party.
Law enforcement officials are attempting to prevent retaliation after an attack by at least two unidentified assailants in a residence populated by members of the Southeast Asian Hmong community, who have a large representation in the part of Fresno where the shooting occurred.
There have been no arrests and the gunmen remain on the loose, police said.
Fresno Police Chief Andrew Hall said there were 16 adult males in the backyard at the time the suspects entered through an unlocked gate carrying semiautomatic handguns and started spraying bullets, hitting 10 victims.
The Fresno County coroner’s office identified the dead as Xy Lee, 23; Phia Vang, 31; Kou Xiong, 38; and Kalaxang Thao, 40, all of Fresno.
The wounded range in age from 2836; two of them remain at a hospital in stable condition, Hall said.
Pao Yang, CEO of the Fresno Center, said two of the victims were well- known entertainers in the Hmong community.
Hall made it clear the aggression was premeditated, though it seems no specific individuals were picked out. The motive remains unknown.
“It appears this incident was a targeted act of violence against this residence,” Hall said. “We are investigating leads, and we do have information that possibly some people at this party were involved in a disturbance earlier this week.’’
Hall said there have been three incidents in November and a total of 11 this year involving Asian gangs, although he stopped short of saying Sunday’s carnage belonged in that category. The police department is creating a gang task force to investigate this incident and try to prevent future violence.
“There’s no indication that this residence or anyone at the residence were affiliated with a gang,” Hall said. “However, whenever we have a major incident like this, we always look toward criminal gang activity.’’
The rampage erupted around 6 p. m. local time Sunday at a backyard party where about 30 people had gathered to watch the Los Angeles Rams- Chicago Bears football game on TV, police said.
“There were several kids and females in attendance at this party,” Deputy Chief Michael Reid said. “Thank God that no kids were hurt.”
Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez, who represents the neighborhood, called the carnage a “senseless and criminal act” that did not reflect what a neighbor described as a quiet community.