On Saturday, April 15th, 2023, at 6:44 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported assault with a firearm that had just occurred at Fairfield Inn & Suites, 3301 Countryside Dr, Turlock, after a man had entered the lobby of the hotel to seek help after being shot.
Nearby officers arrived within minutes and found a black 2023 BMW X4 that had crashed into a bush on the northeast corner of the parking lot with a shattered out rear left window.
Officers then entered the hotel and found a 32-year-old Black male victim with what was originally believed to be a single gunshot wound to his upper left arm. Upon applying a tourniquet, they then discovered a second gunshot wound to the victim’s left side back shoulder area.
Firefighters and paramedics arrived on scene shortly later, transporting the victim to a local hospital where his injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.
Officers began investigating and determined that the victim had been sitting in the driver seat black X4 with a woman, when an unknown suspect approached them on the driver side and began confronting them for an unknown reason. As the victim began to drive off to get away, the unknown suspect shot the victim in the back. The victim then drove his vehicle into a bush, exited it, and ran into the hotel to seek help.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult in his early 20s with short black hair, standing at about 5’ 10” tall, wearing a black Nikke sweater. He was last seen fleeing the area on foot toward the Lowe’s parking lot, where he possibly got into a gray Acura sedan and fled the area.
Officers did contact a man in the Lowe’s parking lot who had arrived in a similar vehicle about 15 minutes prior to the shooting and was still there about 15 minutes after, however, he was determined to be uninvolved.
Patrol officers set up a crime scene and were ultimately relieved by detectives who began processing the scene and taking over the investigation.
The black X4 was towed to the Turlock Police Department to be processed for evidence.
The woman who was with the victim was uninjured.
The gun used was determined to be a .40 caliber handgun.
The motive for the shooting still remains unknown, however, it’s believed to not be a random act of violence. The victim has a history of narcotic and weapon charges in Florida, however, it’s unclear at this point if that had anything to do with the shooting.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information that could assist in it is encouraged to call Detective Jason Tosta at 209-664-7324.
