Four People Killed, Six Wounded at Football Watch Party in Fresno
The tragedy, which took place at a gathering of family and friends on Sunday, follows shortly after a school shooting in Santa Clarita, California.
- By Haley Samsel
- Nov 19, 2019
At a football watch party in a Fresno, California backyard on Sunday, ten people were shot and four men were killed by two gunmen who snuck into the yard, according to police and a CNN report.
The gathering of family and friends attracted about 30 people, including children inside the home. Police said 16 attendees, all of them men, were in the backyard when the shooters opened fire into the crowd. The suspects are still on the loose as of Tuesday morning.
California is still reeling from a school shooting on Thursday in Santa Clarita, California that claimed the lives of three people: two student victims and the shooter himself. The gunman died from a self-inflicted gun wound as investigators struggled to determine his motive for conducting the mass shooting.
Officials in Fresno say that they have not yet determined the motive behind the shooting. All four men killed on Sunday were of Asian descent, and the police department said it was establishing an “Asian gang task force” aiming to prevent any retaliatory violence. Police Chief Andrew Hall said his investigators have not ruled out a gang-related motive.
However, police are convinced that the incident was not random. The gunmen were targeting someone at the residence who had been “involved in a disturbance” last week, according to Hall. Officials have yet to elaborate on what occurred that led to the shooting.
Three of the victims, including the 23-year-old Hmong singer Xy Lee, were pronounced dead at the scene. One was taken to a local hospital where he died in surgery, and five additional victims were treated for non-life threatening gun wounds. Another victim was taken to a hospital for a graze wound.
"My heart goes out to the families that are victims of this senseless violence," said Fresno Deputy Police Chief Michael Reid. "We are going to do everything we can to find out who the perpetrators are and bring them to justice."
About the Author
Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.