FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A man is dead after shots rang out right outside of a banquet hall in northwest Fresno Tuesday evening.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. in the parking lot of an event center near West and Ashlan avenues.
Just steps away from the shooting, there was a party with about 100 people inside the event center.
Police have identified the suspect as 28-year-old Lovepreet Singh.
“The guy was enjoying his time inside like five minutes ago and then went outside after five minutes he got shot, he was no more. It’s scary,” said Micky Singh.
The gunfire sent shockwaves through a large party going on just steps away inside the hall.
“Everybody is scared they were crying,” says Micky, who was working in the kitchen at the time of the shooting.
When officers arrived on scene, they found 29-year-old Harmanpreet Singh suffering a gunshot wound to the upper body.
He was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries.
“We came over here and we saw the dead body right here. Everybody was shocked,” recalled Miky.
Action News has now learned that both the shooter and the victim knew each other, both from Modesto attending the party.
Witnesses tell Action News the two were friends.
“His phone was ringing because his wife was calling him from inside and nobody wants to pick the call because they know his wife is calling and they don’t want to tell her. It’s a hard thing to tell her that her husband is no more,” says Singh.
The suspect, 28-hear old Lovepreet Singh fired at another victim but missed. He ran away into the nearby Herndon Canal before calling 9-1-1 and turning himself in.
Police say when they arrested him, he was in possession of a semi-automatic firearm.
“It’s pretty scary when you see these things play out in public place were common folks go with their families to just have a good time,” says Sgt. Felipe Uribe, Fresno Police Department.
Inside the banquet hall, the next day was a chaotic scene left behind, scattered chairs, food still on the table and dispersed decor. Chaos and terror brought the fun festivities inside to a screeching halt.
Witnesses tell Action News the full party got up from their seats and ran inside the kitchen to seek shelter.
Police say this was an isolated incident, but the motive remains unknown.
“It’s hard to dig and think what people go through in their minds in these situations. It’s hard to know what was said, and what triggered the effect we won’t know at least not for a while,” says Sgt. Uribe.
Lovepreet Singh was booked into the Fresno County Jail, facing murder and attempted murder charges.
