Man shot and killed in Winton, 2nd shooting death on same day

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Merced County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a fatal shooting. It happened in the area of Winton Way and Walnut Avenue in the city of Winton.

One man is dead and a teenager is in the hospital. Both were shot in what deputies are calling a gang-related crime.

Authorities identified the man who was killed as 21-year-old Jerman Gaspar. The second victim, we're told is a 14-year-old, now in serious condition.

This is the second fatal shooting in 24 hours.

Detectives say the second shooting left a young man dead. They're not releasing his identity, but investigators say the shooting is gang-related. They also say there are witnesses to the crime, but aren't getting much cooperation from those people.

Sheriff Vern Warnke says his detectives are following up on some good leads. He says overall homicides are down in Merced County but they're seeing an uptick of gang violence.

"Our citizens are in danger," Sheriff Vern Warnke said. "Granted it's within their own culture, but we've got innocent people that are still living there and they want a safer community and that's what we're doing everything we can to take care of that."

The sheriff's department says the last gang-related murder in the Winton area was in April of this year.