Fresno police say murdered father was innocent victim

FRESNO, Calif.

26-year-old Cedric Blair died after he was shot at Gettysburg and Cedar.

He crashed his car a short distance after the shooting.

His passenger was also seriously hurt.

Homicide detectives have been given permission from the victim's family to reach out through the use of social media.

They hope their target audience is willing to tell them what led to Blair's murder and who is responsible.

Investigators say minutes before the shooting Blair sent a text message to his fiancee letting her know he was on his way home.

But while he sat at the intersection, several shots were fired. Blair and his passenger, Christopher Manley, were both hit.

"I can tell you unequivocally, both of these individuals are not gang members, they had jobs, they were out celebrating and it appears to be a senseless random act at this point," Fresno Police Detective Paul Cervantes said.

Police are now looking at surveillance video taken from at least one camera in the area. They are hoping it leads them to who fired the deadly shots.

Cedric Blair, Sr. says his heart was crushed Sunday morning. Detective Cervantes was at his door with the devastating news just as he prepared to leave to church. Blair didn't want us to show his face on camera.

"That's my baby, you know. I'm going to miss Sunday evenings we had together. Having dinner, going out to dinner, everything Sundays. We spent Sundays together," Blair said.

Family members have given detective Cervantes permission to plead for tips from the public using Blair's personal Facebook page. Investigators say they have few leads and are hoping their approach will prompt the right chatter.

"We need people to step up to the plate and come forward so we can get justice for both of these individuals," Cervantes said.

Blair is survived by two sons, a three year old and a three month old. The surviving victim, Christopher Manley, is in stable condition.

Police are hoping he will be able to give them more information about what happened before the deadly attack.

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