On September 18, 2023, 24-year-old Benito Andrew Cortez was fatally shot in central Fresno, California. The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on East Union Avenue near Cedar and Clinton avenues, approximately a block south of McLane High School. Witnesses reported a verbal altercation between Cortez and another individual shortly before the shooting.
A deputy from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, who was in the vicinity, discovered Cortez lying unresponsive in the roadway with a gunshot wound. Emergency responders arrived promptly, but Cortez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial reports labeled the incident as Fresno's 27th homicide of the year. However, subsequent investigations revealed a more complex narrative. Surveillance footage from nearby residences showed Cortez arriving in the neighborhood and brandishing a handgun equipped with an extended ammunition clip. He was seen pointing the weapon at two teenage boys, both students at McLane High School. As Cortez aimed his gun at one of the teens, the other drew a firearm and fatally shot him in the head. Authorities recovered the handgun with the extended clip at the scene, believed to be the one Cortez had brandished.
Given these findings, Fresno police determined the shooting to be a justifiable homicide, concluding that the teenager acted in self-defense. Consequently, this case was removed from the city's list of intentional homicides for 2023. As of the latest available information, no arrests have been made, and the teenager involved has not been charged. The Fresno Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and has urged anyone with additional information to come forward.
