Suspect arrested for apparent homicide in Lemoore, police say

Gabe Ferris Image
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Suspect arrested for apparent homicide in Lemoore, police say
A man has died following a shooting in Lemoore Friday morning.

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man has died following a shooting in Lemoore Friday morning.

Police say it happened around 12:30 am Friday at the Olive Dee apartment complex on Olive and D streets.

When police arrived, they found the man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared dead at the scene.

Authorities took 20-year-old Tishawn Thorton into custody for the deadly shooting. He had active arrest warrants out of Fresno for homicide, robbery, and firearm charges.

The victim has not been identified.

One resident told Action News he woke up to three gunshots. When he looked outside, he saw a body on the ground.

It all comes as a shock to members of the community.

"This never happens," Olive Dee Apartments employee Louis Rodriguez said. "We don't have any crimes. Especially any violent crimes."

After the sun came up, Rodriguez spent his Friday morning cleaning up visible reminders of the violence.

He was not there when the shooting happened, but he tried piecing together the scene.

He said it looked like the incident began near the sidewalk on West D Street and continued near the complex's entrance off North Olive Street.

"This is a nice complex," Rodriguez said. "This is really out of the ordinary."

Another resident told Action News the apartment manager sent an urgent text asking residents to stay inside as police investigated.

Officers soon tried stopping a car on 19th Avenue near Cypress Lane, about half a mile from the initial scene.

But a man jumped out of the moving car and ran away.

With the help of a drone, police say they eventually arrested Tishawn Thorton in connection with the shooting.

He first provided a false name, but police say the 20-year-old had a loaded gun and active warrants in Fresno for homicide, robbery, and firearm charges.

Action News confirmed he was wanted for a shooting outside a smoke shop at Blackstone and Princeton Avenues that left 26-year-old Joseph Riley dead and his 19-year-old brother wounded.

Thorton is now under arrest for the homicide in Lemoore.

It is currently unclear what led to the shooting, who the victim was, or his relationship to the apartment complex.

Police say they are still investigating.

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