FRESNO (KMJ) — The man accused of shooting two correctional officers inside the lobby of Fresno County Jail has entered a not guilty plea.
Thong Vang appeared in front of a judge once again Thursday morning, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit. The color indicates he remains in solitary confinement following his alleged actions on September 3rd.
He is said to have entered the main lobby area of Fresno County Jail in Downtown Fresno, and shot at Juanita Davila and Toamalama Scanlan before being arrested. Both victims continue to recover in the hospital.
He was represented in the courtroom by Antonio Alvarez.
“In the 25 plus years I’ve been doing this, particularly serious cases, there’s always different facets. It’s always multi-faceted. It’s never really quite as simple as initially thought. It’s a cliché but it’s really a tip of the iceberg.
There’s just a lot of behind the scenes going on. There’s mental health, there’s motivation, all kinds of things we have to look into into in this type of case”.
The 37 year old suspect is facing two counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. All three allegations are considered felonies.
The Public Defender’s Office have already conflicted out of the case, with Alvarez’s office appointed to take to represent Vang.
“We’re very very early on in this case”.
He also expressed awareness of what he called “gusto” that law enforcement would use in approaching the case, due to the victims being Fresno County correctional officers.
“I’m standing in between that. Not necessarily as a speed bump or anything like that but I have to protect Mr. Vang and I have to do what’s in his best interests”.
The arraignment was a continuation of a hearing heard one week earlier on September 8th. Fresno County’s District Attorney was present for Vang’s first appearance, and Fresno County’s Sheriff Margaret Mims was present for the second one.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of people within the Sheriff’s Office that would like to be here this morning and I know they can’t. So I can come as the representative for all of them.
“It was important for me to be here to make sure that I can see him, look him in the face, and hear him speak to the court and be held accountable”.
Thong Vang’s next appearance within Fresno County Superior Court will be October 19th.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
