Fresno police said the victims are a 16 year old and an 18 year old who got into some sort of altercation that spilled into the apartment complex. It happened Tuesday evening at the Palo Alto Place apartments at Palo Alto and Delbert. Police said the victims aren't residents of the complex. So far, police don't have a motive. "We don't know the reason for the disturbance; we don't know what actually happened. We know it started there and it continued to the apartment complex," said Lt. Mark Salazar with the Fresno Police Department.
Wednesday, the visible signs of a crime couldn't be seen at the complex but a security guard patrolled the area on foot. Residents said they could feel a change. "Now I'm a little scared. I don't want the kids out past dark," said resident Kathy Anaforian.
The two deaths are the 34th and 35th homicides in Fresno this year. In 2010, there were 45. To date, 2011 is shaping up to have the lowest homicide rate since 2003. Those numbers do little to make residents of Palo Alto place feel better. "You pay to live at a nicer place in a nicer part of Fresno. You just don't think it's going to happen here," said resident Alyse Stolp.
In response to the shooting, apartment managers are hiring extra security and extending employee hours. In addition, gates that are normally only shut at night will also be closed during daylight hours. Managers said it's a proactive approach but residents said the damage may already be done. "I am pretty scared right now. I don't know if I'm to the point where I'm going to move but we'll see what happens," said Stolp.
In the meantime, police continue to investigate the shooting. Though they've detained several people for questioning, they haven't made any arrests.
