Chief Jerry Dyer says five people were shot in five separate shootings. The shootings happened in Central and Southeast Fresno.
Chief Dyer says the dramatic increase in gang violence overnight has convinced him to re-work the department's patrol plans. That includes bringing in extra officers on their day off.
Investigators say they're cracking down on gang members after five people were shot between 5:30 Saturday night and 4:45 Sunday morning.
"Today we had a meeting with our command staff, and several of our investigators. We've put together deployment strategies that will be taking place today, throughout the night and throughout this week, targeting specific gangs, individual gang members as well as location we believe there is a potential for violence to occur," Chief Jerry Dyer told Action News.
Dyer says the two most recent shootings happened in Southeast Fresno. One person was shot in the leg.
Dyer says in the past 8 weeks, as the result of gang suppression operations there were only 10 gang-involved shootings. In the 8 weeks prior there were 43.
With the five gang shootings this weekend alone, officers are now ramping up their efforts.
"We are going to do everything we can to prevent any retaliation from occurring as the result of the violence that occurred last night," Dyer said.
In Central Fresno, Dyer says a man was shot in the foot at a Shell station near Blackstone and Dakota. A few minutes later another person was shot at a nearby Halloween party inside a hotel.
"Someone pulled out a firearm, shot one of the victims in the leg, and people scattered. Officers were able to make a traffic stop around that same time, in the parking lot. They arrested two gang members. Both of those gang members were armed with firearms. We just don't know what their involvement is with the shooting at the Radisson or the Shell station," Dyer said.
Saturday evening two teenage girls were shot at a park near Laurite and Sabre in Southeast Fresno.
None of the shootings was life-threatening.
Dyer says his investigators have identified many of the gangs and the gang members involved in this recent violence.
More than 40 officers are involved in the special gang-suppression effort.
