FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Fresno Police respond to a weekend of deadly violence, where two people were murdered.
Between Friday, March 22 at 9:00pm and Sunday, March 24 at 5pm there were seven shootings and four stabbings in Fresno.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer says five of the shootings were gang-related.
His concern over gang retaliation led to the launch of gang operations Sunday by police and other agencies to combat the spate of violence.
39-year-old Gerald Wharry was one shooting victim, found dead inside of a parked car in 3100 block of West Princeton Avenue in West Central Fresno, just after midnight Sunday.
Police believe his murder may be tied to an altercation that happened Saturday by Clinton and Valentine.
The number of 22 shell casings left at the scene was concerning to Chief Dyer, who says they believe a shootout took place between rival gangs carrying automatic weapons.
Another 30-year-old man was left in critical condition after he was shot Sunday afternoon near Highway 41 and Ashlan Avenue.
24 year old Timothy Nathaniel Calomiris is wanted by the California Highway Patrol for the crime.
A 42-year-old woman was stabbed in the head by a neighbor on Sunday.
Early Sunday morning, Police were called to the Parks Apartments on North Fruit, south of Ashlan, where 22-year-old John Sandoval, was stabbed and killed.
Three others, one man and two women, suffered serious injuries and were rushed to CRMC after the fight at the Central Fresno apartment complex.
19-year old Danny Duran’s family turned him in to police, hours later, and was been booked for homicide, and attempted homicide.
Chief Dyer says in the first two days that the MAGEC task force deployed on Sunday, more than 50 personnel from the city-wide gang operation made ten felony arrests of gang members, the people he says were involved in the shootings or their associates.
Police seized nine weapons, two of which were automatic, said Chief Dyer.
Chief Dyer says a violent gang member 42-year-old Lindal Moore was arrested on Sunday.
Dyer spoke about the crime in Fresno at a press conference at police headquarters on Tuesday.
Fresno has seen 70 shootings this year, compared to 80 shootings at the same time last year.
80 percent of the shootings are connected to gang violence.
Dyer says while shootings are down in Fresno by about 20% so far for 2019, the nine homicides, is the same number as last year.
Chief Dyer is warning that as the weather gets warmer there will be more people outside and more conflict.
Police are still looking for information surrounding the shooting death of Gerald Wharry, call Detective Raul Diaz 621-2407 or Detective Mark Yee 559-621-2449.
Anyone with info about the stabbings call Detective Ben Barnes or Detective Melanie Mayo at 559-621-2445
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
