Man shoots and kills brother in Southwest Fresno, police say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A young Fresno man was arrested after being accused of killing his own brother in front of family members, and it's not the first time he's appeared on the news as the suspect of a crime.

Fresno police said Jose Cerna, 21, ran from the crime scene, but they caught him around 3 p.m. Sunday. His older brother was shot to death hours earlier near California and Atchison avenues in Southwest Fresno.

Distraught family members crowded around the crime scene, where police believe the 29-year-old man was murdered by his younger brother.

"There were several witnesses that observed the shooting, including some family members. There was some sort of confrontation inside the house between the two brothers, and the shooting occurred," said Sgt. Carlos Frausto with the Fresno Police Department.

Witnesses told police Cerna shot his brother in front of family members. The victim was inside one of the units at the Mariposa Meadows apartment complex with a gunshot wound. His brother -- the suspect -- was on the run for several hours, police said, before they found him walking just down the street.

"We're at the preliminary stages of the investigation, so we're trying to deal with some emotions understandably and trying to get information regarding what had happened," said Frausto.

Cerna isn't a stranger to crime. One week ago, he was arrested by Fresno police for breaking into a local school. He was caught by a K9 after trying to steal electronics at Columbia Elementary. At the time of that arrest he had two other arrest warrants for other burglaries. Then on Saturday, jail records show Cerna was arrested for felony burglary charges and vandalism. He was released only to be accused of murder the next day.

"Emotions are hard because it's involving family members, and we're working through that," said Frausto.

This is the sixth murder this year in the city of Fresno.