Central Fresno Man Shot While Driving, Suspect Vehicle Fled Scene

A Central Fresno man survived after a gunman in a second vehicle opened fire on him near Hughes and Cornell avenues Tuesday evening, striking him in the lower body as he drove through one of the corridor's busiest commute-hour stretches. ShotSpotter acoustic sensors had already flagged the shooting before the victim called Fresno Police, detecting 17 rounds fired on Hughes just south of Shields Avenue at around 6:30 p.m.

The victim drove several blocks from the intersection after being shot before stopping to seek medical help. He was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. His name has not been released.

Hughes Avenue was blocked off between Michigan and Weber avenues for several hours while investigators processed the scene, a stretch of roughly a half mile that cuts through residential and light-commercial blocks. Fresno Police have not released a vehicle description for the suspect car or confirmed the number of shooters involved. Investigators have also not determined whether the victim was the intended target, leaving open the possibility the shooting was a case of mistaken identity or a random attack.

The intersection has seen this pattern before. In a prior separate incident near Cornell and Hughes, a man in his 60s was sitting in his vehicle after returning from a store when an unknown person approached, exchanged words, got back into a white four-door sedan, drove off, and fired five shots. The victim was struck once and transported in stable condition. Police in that case sought a man in his 30s as the suspect.

Anyone with information on Tuesday's shooting is asked to call Fresno Police at (559) 621-7000. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, through valleycrimestoppers.org, or by texting "Valley" to 738477. Tips that lead to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward.

The shooting lands in a city working to hold onto hard-won reductions in gun violence. Fresno Police Department data shows 221 shooting incidents in 2024, down from 359 in 2023 and a peak of 732 in 2020. Homicides fell to 30 last year from a 2020-2021 high of 74. Police Chief Mindy Casto noted that the department recorded 107 gunshot wound victims in 2024, with 78% of those cases solved. Mayor Jerry Dyer credited the gains to expanded officer hiring and technology including ShotSpotter, license plate readers, ballistic analysis tools, and police helicopters. Fresno ended 2024 with 861 of 926 authorized officer positions filled, a 7.02% vacancy rate.

Even with that progress, Fresno's crime rate remains approximately 41 per 1,000 residents, among the highest in the country. For drivers who regularly use Hughes Avenue between Shields and Michigan, any vehicle that lingers alongside or slows to match your speed in traffic is reason enough to change lanes or reroute when it is safe to do so.