Officers say several gang members who came to a party in Central Fresno Saturday night were armed. Luckily, police knew there was a potential for problems, so they were there too. But that didn't stop two shootings from happening within minutes.
Fresno police say a Halloween party at the Park Inn by Radisson ended in frightening way. Officers say once members of four opposing gangs showed up to the party it was a bad combination.
"There's no doubt, where there are gang members, there are guns," Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.
Dyer says officers were at the party to prevent any violence. But the officers had left briefly to respond to a shooting across the street at a Shell station. Within 15 minutes a partygoer was shot.
"Someone looks at another gang member in the wrong way, somebody says something that causes someone to be upset, and that's enough in the gang world to cause a fight and ultimately a shooting to occur. And that's what we saw Saturday night," Dyer said.
In response to the 5 shootings in Fresno Saturday night, police are now handpicking gang members who they feel will try to retaliate. They are watching those individuals so they can watch them commit crimes or witness crimes committed against them.
Officers will also be meeting with managers at the Park Inn by Radisson hotel to let them know how dangerous parties can be that are open to the general public.
"It's important for us to work with management so first of all, they understand that when they have these events there's a potential for problems to occur. And if they are going to have these events, make sure they have the proper security in place," Dyer said.
Fortunately, since officers were nearby, they arrested Antoine and Joseph Caradine in the parking lot of the hotel. They say the two were armed and may be involved in the shooting.
Police do believe the shooting at the Shell station and the one here are related.
As for the Caradine brothers, they are both out of jail tonight. They were released for overcrowding. None of the shooting victims have life-threatening injuries.
