Bystander shot in central Fresno shopping center gunfire exchange
A teen bystander was shot in the foot as two groups exchanged gunfire outside a central Fresno shopping center, and police detained at least three people.
Gunfire outside a central Fresno shopping center sent a bystander to the hospital Tuesday afternoon, turning a routine stop near West Avenue and Griffith Way into a daylight police scene. Fresno officers said two groups opened fire near dd's Discounts around 2:30 p.m., and a ShotSpotter alert recorded 14 rounds in the area.
Lt. Larry Bowlan said the injured teen was not part of the shooting and was walking into DD’s Discounts with another person when struck. One report said officers found the bystander inside the store with a gunshot wound to the foot, underscoring how quickly a burst of gunfire in a crowded retail corridor can put shoppers and workers at risk.
At least three people were detained as officers worked to determine who was involved and what triggered the exchange. Another account said four unoccupied cars were hit by gunfire, a sign that the danger extended beyond the people who were directly involved and into the parking lot itself. The shooting unfolded near Ashlan Avenue, in a part of central Fresno where customers were in and out of stores in the middle of the afternoon.
The injury to a bystander made the incident especially serious because the teen does not appear to have been one of the shooters. Instead, the case turned on the kind of random exposure that can make ordinary errands feel less secure when violence breaks out in a public shopping area. In this case, the scene was not hidden or isolated. It was a busy commercial strip, visible to anyone nearby and close enough to the store entrance that a person walking in could be hit.
The shooting also stands out against the broader trend in Fresno police statistics. The Fresno Police Department said shooting incidents fell from 221 in 2024 to 162 in 2025, and the city recorded a 51-year low in homicides in 2025, according to figures released in January 2026. Even with those gains, Tuesday’s shooting showed how fast a retail center can turn into an emergency response site, with hospital transport, detained suspects and investigators trying to sort out a violent encounter in plain view of the public.
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