Man killed in Central Fresno stabbing identified

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Saturday morning's stabbing victim in Central Fresno has been identified as 48-year-old Dennis Horstmeier.

Police say he was the victim of a random attack, by a man who was looking to get high on meth. They say that led to an argument between William Gideons, his fiancee, and her mother at the mother's home on Floradora Avenue.

"Somehow they locked him out, he got a hammer, started hitting some things outside the house," Fresno Police Lt. Mark Salazar said. "When they said they didn't have any money for meth, he left. He made some type of comment about he could kill somebody and then a few minutes later he encounters our victim."

Police found Horstmeier lying on the ground at the intersection of Floradora and Thesta. They say he was on his way home from a nearby gas station, and that he and Gideons did not know each other.

Horstmeier's father told us it was a classic case of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

But his father and his employers at Barracuda Construction in Southwest Fresno say Horstmeier was trying to get to a better place in life.

"In the area of town where he was living, he said was just not you know a healthy place to be and unfortunately, evidently, that was the case," said Barracuda's Roxy Lewis. "It was not a healthy place for him to be."

She says he had worked as a repairman and occasional equipment operator at Barracuda for more than a year, and just appreciated having the job.

"Just a very kind-hearted person and just enjoyed doing what he did around here and he enjoyed being here and we appreciated him being here," Lewis said.

Police say it's fortunate Gideons, who was armed with two knives and confronted at least three more people, didn't do more damage.

"This one, you couldn't have predicted this one," Salazar said. "It was not predictable, it was not preventable, but we're glad there was not more victims."