Police said four juveniles were walking in northeast Fresno when gunfire erupted shortly after 1:20 a.m. Monday.
FRESNO, Calif. — Two 15-year-old boys were killed and a 14-year-old boy was wounded early Monday after gunfire broke out near San Jose Avenue and Bond Street in northeast Fresno, police said, sending detectives into a homicide investigation that stretched through the day.
Fresno police said the shooting happened as four juveniles, ages 14 to 17, were returning from nearby restaurants to a friend’s house in the neighborhood. One boy died at the scene, a second died after being taken to Community Regional Medical Center, and a third underwent surgery after being hit in the upper body. The fourth teen was shot at but not wounded. By Monday afternoon, Chief Mindy Casto said detectives were still working to identify the shooter or shooters and determine what led to the attack.
Police said the first calls came in at about 1:21 a.m., with callers reporting 10 to 12 shots in the area of San Jose Avenue and Bond Street, near First Street and Barstow Avenue. Officers from Fresno’s Northeast Policing District arrived and found one victim down near San Jose and Bond. A second injured 15-year-old was found on San Jose Avenue between Bond and Fourth streets. A third victim, a 14-year-old, was found several blocks away near Bond Street and East San Ramon Avenue after fleeing the gunfire, authorities said. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery. Casto told reporters that all four boys had been walking together when shots were fired. “They were returning back to a friend’s house,” Casto said, describing a short trip through the neighborhood that ended in a burst of violence. The 17-year-old, she said, was also targeted but was not struck.
The case developed in pieces as officers secured more than one location and tried to sort out where each victim had fallen. Early reports described the surviving teen as being in critical condition. Later Monday, police said he had come through surgery and was in stable condition. Authorities did not release the names of the victims Monday, and no arrests had been announced by late in the day. Investigators also did not say whether the shooting appeared gang-related, whether the victims knew the gunman, or whether the shots were fired from a vehicle or by someone on foot. Casto said detectives were interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence from the area. Police believe the four teens were the intended targets, but officers had not publicly explained why. That left families, neighbors and classmates with basic but painful unknowns: who opened fire, what started it, and whether the ambush had been planned.
The violence struck a part of Fresno where late-night gunfire can send fear across several blocks at once, especially when victims are children. The shooting scene sits in a residential pocket of northeast Fresno near schools, side streets and small businesses, a setting that made the ages of the victims stand out even more. Fresno police had recently pointed to a drop in homicides citywide, making Monday’s attack a sharp setback in a year that had begun with public claims of progress. Casto has said in other briefings this month that quick responses to gunfire and close follow-up on shootings are central to the department’s strategy. Monday’s case tested that approach in the hardest way, with multiple young victims spread across several streets before sunrise. By afternoon, yellow tape still marked the area as investigators looked for shell casings, camera footage and witness accounts that could place the shooter at the scene and trace the route taken after the shots were fired.
The investigation now turns on evidence collection and witness statements. Fresno police said homicide detectives were assigned to the case Monday and continued to track down leads through the day. The department identified two detectives for tip lines as officers asked anyone with information to come forward. No charges had been filed by Monday evening, and police had not announced a suspect description or a vehicle tied to the shooting. That means the next procedural steps are likely to include forensic review of shell casings, canvassing homes and businesses for surveillance video, and follow-up interviews with the surviving victims and other witnesses once detectives can do so. The Fresno County Coroner’s Office is expected to formally identify the two boys who died after their families are notified. Police also are expected to provide updated information once the wounded 14-year-old’s medical condition allows further interviews and once detectives decide whether to release any description of the attacker.
Monday’s news conference gave the case a human center that the overnight police log could not. Casto did not speculate about motive, but her account made clear how ordinary the boys’ movements had been before the shooting. They had gone out for food, she said, and were heading back to a friend’s house when the gunfire started. The simple detail underscored how quickly the scene changed from a neighborhood walk into a triple shooting investigation. For residents living nearby, the sound of a dozen shots was followed by patrol cars, crime-scene tape and the realization that two of the victims were 15 years old. The 14-year-old survivor, found blocks away after trying to escape, became the one direct thread detectives still have to the moments after the attack. For now, police say the case remains active, the suspect remains unidentified, and the city is left with another reminder of how fast youth violence can turn fatal.
The investigation remained open Monday night, with detectives seeking tips, video and witness accounts as they worked to identify the shooter. The next public milestone is expected to be the release of the victims’ names and any suspect information once police say they can do so without harming the case.
Author note: Last updated March 24, 2026.