Fresno police are investigating after gunfire damaged two businesses in the Tower District early Sunday morning, marking the latest violent incident in an area that has seen several high-profile crimes this year.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The video above is from a previous broadcast and will be updated.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired around 2:24 a.m. near Fulton Street and Dennett Avenue, about one block south of the Tower Theatre.
Security video obtained exclusively by Action News shows two groups meeting in front of a home on Dennett Avenue and exchanging words before one person pulls out a gun and opens fire. The surveillance video captured at least 10 rounds being fired.
Police officers who were already nearby heard the gunfire and quickly responded, locating multiple shell casings on Dennett Avenue west of Fulton Street.
Investigators say a music video was being filmed in the area at the time. According to police, several people who were denied entry left and fired multiple rounds before fleeing.
No injuries were reported.
The owner of a nail studio on Dennett Avenue arrived Sunday morning to find a bullet hole in a wall and a bullet on the floor. Around the corner on Fulton Street, another business sustained damage and had a window boarded up.
Police said a preliminary review indicates the people involved had no connection to Tower District activities along Olive Avenue.
The shooting occurred during the first weekend of Fresno’s new safety plan for the Tower District, announced days after an Oct. 18 shooting that injured two people, including a bystander waiting in line outside a nightclub.
The city’s strategy includes increased foot patrols, designated pickup and drop-off zones along Olive Avenue, brighter street lighting and relocating food vendors to a designated vendor area.
Ahead of the weekend, Fresno Police Deputy Chief Joe Alvarez said he hoped the changes would help reduce violence in the area.
“I’m hoping for an incredibly quiet weekend where people just get to enjoy the businesses with nothing else happening,” Alvarez said.
The Tower District has experienced several violent incidents this year.
The year began with a New Year’s Day stabbing outside Bobby Salazar’s that injured two men and led to three arrests. In May, a man was shot following a fight near Olive and Linden. In August, another man was wounded after a fight near Olive and Lucerne escalated into a shootout.
On Sept. 26, 28-year-old Tyrone Miles was shot and killed near Olive and Linden. Police arrested a 19-year-old in that case.
Most recently, on Oct. 18, two people were shot, including an innocent bystander standing in line to enter a nightclub. Police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with that shooting.
Alvarez said reducing gun violence remains the department’s top priority.
“I want all of our children to sleep without gunfire; that’s been something that I said forever because if you think about that, if they don’t hear gunfire, that means something bad isn’t happening. No one deserves to be a victim of gun violence, and at that point we need to make sure that we do everything we can so that no one can be a victim,” Alvarez said.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fresno Police Department.
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