Man Shot, Killed Outside Downtown Fresno Stereo Warehouse Friday Night

Meharie Kidane, 38, was shot and killed late Friday night outside the Sun Stereo Warehouse in downtown Fresno's Brewery District after a fight erupted at a ticketed party and security pushed hundreds of attendees onto the street, police said.

Officers responded just after 11 p.m. to the intersection of Fulton and Inyo streets following reports of multiple shots fired. They found Kidane suffering from gunshot wounds in the street. EMS transported him to Community Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said the party had been advertised on social media and that roughly 600 tickets had been sold by the time the shooting occurred. "The security at the location decided to clear the place out, and once the fight broke out and people spilled out onto the street, at which time the shooting occurred, it sounded like quite a bit of chaos," Casto said. "Multiple people were running from the location for obvious reasons. When officers arrived, they found the victim."

The chaos left investigators with a large pool of potential witnesses. Fresno Police Lieutenant Michael Pierce described the immediate aftermath as difficult to manage. "A chaotic scene, with the possibility of whether they knew the victim, and we have trauma going on because of what they either saw or didn't see," Pierce said. "Trying to corral a lot of people and at this point, I think we have around 30 to 50 people we are trying to get witness statements from."

Homicide detectives are leading the investigation and gathering surveillance video from nearby businesses along the Fulton corridor. Police say several witnesses are cooperating, though no suspect information has been released. The suspect remains at large; police say there is no known threat to the public.

Kidane's death marked the seventh homicide in Fresno so far this year, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Homicide Detective N. Carr at (559) 621-2445 or Detective J. Baroni at (559) 621-2516. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867.