Family of the man who was shot say their cousin, 23 year old Michael Fang, has been wrongfully accused of gang involvement.
Linda Fang says her family's in shock their cousin Michael was gunned down by two Fresno police officers late Friday night.
"He was like trying to look out for the house, protecting the house, whatever you know? There's been a lot of drive by here. He was just checking to see who it was," says Linda.
Officers were following a lead about a gang-related drive-by shooting that occurred earlier in the evening.
Sheriff Margaret Mims says that lead brought police to a house at Maple and Normal and to Linda's cousin. "When there, officers approached the house to contact possible suspects, they were confronted by two people, both armed with hand guns," says Sheriff Mims.
Detectives say the two officers were fired on and forced to defend themselves. Michael Fang was shot and wounded the other suspect ran away. But Linda claims her cousin was alone.
"You hear gun shots, what you gonna do? You're gonna duck and run. So I don't know. I don't know who they're looking for," says Linda.
Police officers and swat teams swarmed the east central Fresno neighborhood closing streets; looking for the run-away suspect. But their search ended around 7am; no one was caught.
Jason Kissner, a criminologist at Fresno State, says several factors can lead to violence against police: impulse control issues and access to weapons. "And when you combine those two factors with being present in a situation which from the offender's stand point, violent behavior is a realistic option," Kissner says.
But still Linda Fang maintains her cousin was not affiliated with a gang. "This wasn't gang activity. This had nothing to do with a gang. This was between a cop and my cousin and the cop shooting my cousin.
Michael Fang is listed in serious but stable condition. He faces several charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
The sheriff's department is handling the investigation because this shooting took place in a county island.
Investigators say the hospitalized suspect was also the victim of a gang related shooting on Christmas day, just six weeks ago, at the same home.
A drive by shooter hit Fang in the leg as he was walking up to the house.
He wasn't seriously hurt and the shooter got away in a 4-door compact sedan.
