Father gunned down outside his home in Selma, police work to stop violence

SELMA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A bullet hole is still in the front window of the Salas home on C Street near Gaither.

41-year-old Rudy Salas, a father of 11, was hanging out at a neighbor's a few doors down when suddenly officers say a car pulled up to him and fired several rounds.

"We haven't ruled out any possibility in terms of what the motive could be. We're still looking for witnesses," said Selma police chief Greg Garner.

Detectives are still trying to get statements from neighbors who may have witnessed the murder. They are also checking some of the 58 video cameras throughout the city for information on the car seen speeding away from the scene.

A small memorial marks the spot where Salas was shot. His mother waited helplessly for emergency crews to try to save her oldest child.

But his internal injuries were too severe. Loved ones say Salas had a big heart and would feed anyone who was hungry.

Investigators say the victim hasn't been in any trouble lately with the law and was not currently involved in a gang.

Chief Garner said a shooting Sunday morning about a mile away on Dennis Drive doesn't appear to be related to the homicide.

The victim struck at that location is expected to survive.

So far this year, officers have responded to 8 shootings where a structure or building was hit. A bullet grazed one person's leg.

Garner said a majority of the shooting calls have been over the past few weeks.

The two most recent shootings happened in typically quiet neighborhoods.

"We haven't been in either one of those neighborhoods for this type of events," Garner said. "It looks as though both victims were the specific target. This was not a random event."