Fresno Police say many of this year's murders have been unpredictable because it's hard to pinpoint when gang rivalries will end in death.
Despite a major police crackdown on gangs, the family of the latest victim says if more officers were on patrol at this festival ... it may have stopped a brutal attack.
Yer Adam Yang's family is having a hard time dealing with the way witnesses say the 20-year-old was beaten to death by close to a dozen others at the water festival in Southwest Fresno.
Victim's sister, Nou Yang said, "One scream, one yell. One person could've made a difference now he's gone. He's really gone now."
The parents of the victim believe event organizers should have hired far more police officers to patrol the crowd that was expected to be about 30 thousand over the three day event.
Police say four officers were asked to patrol the Water Festival before the murder ... but after Saturday they asked for 12 officers plus a sergeant.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the annual event has in years past been a fun recreational festival, free of violence. "It is easy to look back in hindsight and say well we should have had more officers there. Well maybe we shouldn't have had the event. But it's easy to go back in hindsight and say what could've been done better."
The murder rate in Fresno is more than double the same time last year ... and it's much higher than two other similar size California cities. Sacramento has 15 murders this year ... San Jose has 11 and Oakland 34. Fresno Police have investigated 25.
Chief Jerry Dyer says he is changing his department's tactics. He feels the gang feuds brewing. "There are going to be individuals out there that are in gangs that are going to try to prove a point. They are going to do it at great risk. Great risk of being caught, great risk of being shot."
Police are concerned with summer on the horizon, more violence is coming, and that's usually a trend as temperatures rise in the Valley. Yang's family says they are also upset that after the murder the festival was not shutdown while police investigated.
