Angel Sanchez, 24, of Mendota, California, was one of two people fatally shot in the early morning hours of October 30, 2016. Reports came into Mendota Police of gunfire near the department around 2:00 am but an initial search found no evidence; at about 5:00 am a passerby discovered Sanchez and 24-year-old Christina Echeverria near the railroad tracks at 9th and Marie Street, a dark, secluded area that had not been checked earlier.

Sanchez and Echeverria had been friends and were walking back toward Echeverria’s home after stopping at the Fastrip Food Store at 9th and Oller Street. Both were found with gunshot wounds. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation; the motive remains unknown and there were no immediate signs either victim had ties to criminal street gangs. No arrests have been announced.

Both victims were single parents who left young children. Echeverria’s five children are in the care of their grandfather. Does anyone who was in Mendota that night recall seeing suspicious activity or vehicles near 9th and Marie Street?