Fresno police make arrest in December murder

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Officers have been looking to talk to a suspect for weeks, investigators believe he is the one who pulled the trigger in the killing of 33-year-old Enrique Falcon.

A large memorial filled with candles, bottles of alcohol and Christmas decorations sits on the sidewalk where Falcon was stripped of his life.

Fresno police say a fight in the street turned into a deadly confrontation in December. "Early on, we received information that this was a disturbance between gang members and it quickly escalated into shots fired," Lt. Burke Farrah with the Fresno Police Department said. "So, we had different names- different people that were involved, but it did not take long for detective Ledbetter to determine that Jesus Lepe was responsible for the murder."

For close to a month officers looked for the suspect. Detectives say he is a gang member with a criminal past that includes, drug possession, theft and resisting arrest.

Seven gunshots were captured on shotspotter, and officers patrolling the area heard the recording of them in the seconds that followed. Police secured the crime scene right away. "Officers were there, on scene within a minute," Farrah said. "Our officers rendered first aid to him immediately. Despite the close proximity to Community Regional Medical Center, unfortunately, his wounds were so deadly he couldn't survive them."

Despite the fast response, Lepe wasn't caught then. Detectives say neighbors and witnesses who live in the area were also reluctant to give statements about what they saw. Police say many who watched the fight have gang ties. So it came down to a few good leads and tireless police work that tied Lepe to the scene.

Detectives have taken the loaded gun they recovered yesterday. It will now undergo ballistic testing. Lepe is in the Fresno County jail on charges of homicide.