3 farmworkers shot, 1 fatally, near Dinuba

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A dispute between farmworkers turned deadly in an orchard near Dinuba. 3 people were shot and one of them was killed.

On Wednesday morning, a farm labor crew was forced to stop working. They left behind ladders, harvested fruit and a tractor, in the middle of an orchard where 3 people were shot and one was killed.

Lieutenant Rob Schimpf, with the Tulare County Sheriff's Department said, "The other two have been transported to local hospitals where they are being treated."

Investigators say there was a dispute between two farm workers, they started fighting, shots were fired and the gunman took off on foot. Moments later, Dinuba Police detained someone in a field, about a mile away.

"They were able to detain a subject that matched the description given out," Lieutenant Schimpf added, "we're in the process of dealing with that person."

People who live nearby didn't hear the gunshots but they all saw the scene. Simon Orosco says the farmworkers were picking plums and he was sorry to hear what happened, "Not good, not good." he said, "they come here to pick fruit... we don't want anything bad to happen to them."

As for a motive, investigators aren't sure. They walked the orchard, row by row, putting the harvest on hold as they searched for clues.

The person who was killed has not been identified. The other two victims are in the hospital but their conditions are unknown.