FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A woman was found with critical injuries in an alleyway in central Fresno Thursday afternoon, prompting a police investigation into a daytime shooting in a residential area.
Fresno police were called to the area of Mayfair Drive and Normal Avenue around 2:15 p.m. after a report of a woman down in an alley, according to Lt. Brian Valles of the Fresno Police Department.
“Around 2:15 this afternoon, we received a report of a female down in the alleyway,” Valles said.
Emergency crews arrived first and quickly recognized the severity of the woman’s injuries.
“Once they saw that this female had what appeared to be significant trauma to her upper body in the head area,” Valles said.
First responders requested assistance from Fresno police. By the time officers arrived, the woman was being transported by ambulance to Community Regional Medical Center.
Police later confirmed the trauma was the result of a gunshot near the woman’s head.
Investigators said the shooting occurred in the middle of the afternoon in the same location where the woman was found.
The victim was described as being in her late twenties to early thirties.
“There’s evidence indicating it occurred right where we’re at,” Valles said.
Police are relying heavily on home surveillance footage from nearby residents to help determine what happened, particularly because no one was immediately found at the scene when the woman was discovered.
“Especially in cases like this where we have a report of an individual who’s down and there’s no one in the area, so we’re hoping that we find some video to give us more leads in this investigation,” Valles said.
Investigators hope the time of day will help identify witnesses who may have seen or heard something.
“Maybe witnesses may have seen something, and we’ll knock on the right door and get that information that we need to find out who did this,” Valles said.
Fresno police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the department or submit an anonymous tip through Valley Crime Stoppers.
