On the evening of March 3, 2023, at about 7:30 p.m., 18-year-old Ruben Velazquez and a 17-year-old companion were seated in a vehicle near the intersection of J and 10th Streets in Orange Cove, California, when both were shot. Emergency responders transported them to a local hospital; Velazquez died of his injuries and the 17-year-old was initially listed in critical condition but later released.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation and initially considered the shooting possibly gang-related. Detectives later described the attack as targeted rather than random. Witnesses said Velazquez and his friend were driving through a residential neighborhood when two men in another vehicle confronted them, one of whom exited and began firing at Velazquez’s car, striking both occupants.

Who in Orange Cove might have information about that night or about Ruben’s movements in the hours before the shooting?