Fresno police arrest man in March shooting that killed two teens
Fresno police arrested Lelan Lee in a March shooting that killed two 15-year-old boys and wounded another teen, a case that rattled a northeast Fresno neighborhood.
Fresno police have arrested 25-year-old Lelan Lee in the March shooting that killed two 15-year-old boys and wounded another teenager, a major step in a case that left families grieving and neighbors asking how four teens could be attacked on a city street.
Police said the Street Violence Bureau Tactical Team took Lee into custody Thursday, May 14, and booked him into Fresno County Jail. He later faced two counts of murder and other felony charges tied to the shooting, including attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The shooting happened around 1:20 a.m. on March 23 near Fourth Street and San Jose Avenue in northeast Fresno, after officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire. Investigators said four teenagers were walking together when they were targeted. One 15-year-old boy died at the scene. Another 15-year-old was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and later died. A 14-year-old boy was treated and released, and a fourth juvenile, age 17, was shot at but not injured.
The location added to the fear around the case: officers were called to an area near San Jose Avenue and Bond Street, close to First Street and Barstow Avenue, and ABC30 reported the scene was just a block from an elementary school and Hoover High School. The killings were the 8th and 9th homicides in Fresno in 2026, a grim marker for a city still trying to confront violence involving children and teens in residential neighborhoods.
KSEE/KGPE reported the teenagers were returning from a restaurant when the shooting happened, and the 14-year-old survivor was found near Bond Street and San Ramon Avenue before being taken to Community Regional Medical Center. Lee was arraigned Tuesday, May 19, on the murder charges and the additional felonies. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive or explained what evidence led to the arrest, even as the case now moves from the streets of northeast Fresno into the courtroom. KMJ reported Lee has two prior strikes and was on parole when the boys were killed, and that the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has not announced whether it will seek the death penalty.
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