Fresno County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives are investigating the murders of two men.
The victims have been identified as Alfonso Barbosa, 31, of Reedley and Fray Martin Rodriguez, 29, of Reedley. Rodriguez also had ties to the Sanger area.
Around 7:30 pm on Saturday, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call of a suspicious vehicle near the intersection of E. Dinuba and Crawford Avenues, east of Reedley. A motorist reported the four-door, dark colored Chevrolet Malibu as being suspicious due to the fact that it was parked at an awkward angle on the side of the road with the headlights and engine still running. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found two deceased men (Barbosa and Rodriguez) inside the car who had apparently been shot. No evidence was found in their car to show they had fired any guns.
Detectives are trying to determine a motive for this shooting. They have not ruled out that Barbosa and Rodriguez are possible victims of gang violence. This is not believed to be a random act, but rather that the victims were targeted due to involvement in some type of activity. The exact type of activity is unknown since this investigation is still in its early stages and is on-going. Detectives are also attempting to figure out where the victim’s were before 7:30 pm on Saturday.
No arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified.
This marks the 4th and 5th homicides of the year in Fresno County.
Anyone with additional information on this case should call the Fresno County Sheriff’s Detectives Mark Chapman or Hector Palma at (559) 600-8209 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7687). You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
