2 gunshot homicide victims overnight, Fresno matches violent 2020 murder numbers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno police are investigating two homicides from overnight, with both victims apparently experiencing homelessness.

Officers found the first victim at Hedges and Rabe Ave. -- an industrial area near Clovis & Olive Ave. -- at about 11:30 Sunday night.

They located the second victim at Chestnut and Dayton, right by the airport, less than six hours later.

Both victims were shot to death and both were experiencing homelessness.

But police say they don't believe the two murders are connected even though they found the victims about three miles apart.

A driver spotted 24-year-old Adam Contreras lifeless on the street in an industrial area just off Clovis Avenue.

"This is an area where, that time of night on a Sunday evening, you have very little foot traffic or vehicle traffic or any pedestrian types unless you work in the area," said Lt. Larry Bowlan of the Fresno Police Department.

Homicide detectives say someone shot Contreras in the upper body.

They're looking for surveillance video and any witnesses who might've been at work or in the area and heard anything sometime before 11:30 p.m.

By 5 a.m., a 911 caller led police to a new homicide scene.

The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Veasna Nhiv.

They say Nhiv apparently slept in the area frequently.

Investigators say evidence at both scenes suggests the men were shot in the somewhat remote areas where they were found.

But the second homicide scene is popular among people who like watching planes take off and land, and among people without homes.

"We think there were other people in the general area that may have left prior to officers and EMS arriving," Lt. Bowlan said.

The two homicides bring Fresno's total for 2021 up to 74, which is exactly the same number the city had in 2020, when murders jumped about 65% from the previous year.

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But police say there are positive signs, including a reduction in the number of shootings this year, and they're working to drive the numbers down.

"We have put a huge amount of resources out dealing with gangs, dealing with violent crime, dealing with problem areas since August of this year," Lt. Bowlan said.

Police believe 12 people experiencing homelessness have been victims of homicide in Fresno this year.