Police: Shooting suspect targeted 1, shot 6 bystanders after bar fight
By Madisen Keavy
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TURLOCK, California (KOVR) — Seven people were shot outside a Turlock bar Saturday morning after a suspect targeted one person and shot six bystanders at closing time. The suspect is not in custody, according to a Turlock Police Department spokesperson.
At around 2 a.m., on South First Street, a Turlock Police officer was on downtown patrol a block away from a row of bars when he heard gunshots. Several 911 calls followed with reports of a shooting outside of a local bar, La Cantina.
The suspect’s car, identified by Turlock Police as a white newer model Mercedes Benz sedan, drove past the Turlock officer as it sped away from the scene. With 7 gunshot victims, the officer went to South First Street to begin first-aid for victims. All of them had non-life-threatening injuries, some grazed in the shooting, and others that required more serious attention to control bleeding, according to a Turlock Police spokesperson.
“With seven gunshot victims, having the police officers on scene within seconds, they were able to triage the very serious cases from the minor cases. There were some cases that were just graze wounds. They were able to direct in medical resources, our fire department, AMR, and get them to the people that truly need help, quickly,” Special Operations Lieutenant Neil Cervenka told CBS3.
The suspected shooter is described by Turlock PD as a “heavy-set Hispanic male between 25 to 30 years of age. Video of the incident shows his hairstyle was unique in that the sides of his head appeared to be shaved and he had what appeared to be a short ponytail. He was described as wearing a white sweatshirt and blue jeans,” reported the Turlock Police Department.
Detectives believe that the altercation stemmed from a fight that took place in the bar earlier that night. They do not believe it was a random act of violence and they believe that one person was targeted primarily without regard for other bystanders.
“This is tremendously unusual and exceptionally disheartening. We don’t experience things like this,” said Cervenka.
Chief of Police Jason Hedden, who was sworn into the role on Wednesday, said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims injured in this senseless shooting. We understand the concerns of our residents and our team continues to work hard to provide for a safer Turlock.”
The conditions of the victims have not yet been released.
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