Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010

Shooting occurs Monday morning

Police say victim is not cooperating with authorities

A gang-related shooting left a man with a leg wound early Monday morning, but police are scrambling for additional information about the crime because he is unwilling to tell who shot him, according to police.

Cmdr. Ray Reyna Jr. said his department responded to reports of a shooting on Tanner Road at 12:44 a.m.

When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old male who had been shot in the leg, Reyna said. He was airlifted to Memorial Hospital Modesto and is currently in stable condition, Reyna said.

Police said the victim was uncooperative with officers and would not provide any details about the shooting. Authorities believe local gangs are involved in the crime.

“The victim is a documented gang member within the city of Los Banos. We are investigating the incident, which we believe is gang-related,” Reyna said.

He said because of the lack of information police have been unable to determine whether the incident was related to a shooting that occurred last week.

On Aug. 10 the Los Banos Police Department responded to a shooting on the 2200 Block of East B Street. When officers arrived they learned there was a gang fight and the participants sped away in two vehicles that were last seen driving toward Ward Road. Police later discovered a 42-year-old man from San Jose had been shot in the legs during the shooting. He was also airlifted to Memorial Hospital Modesto and was in stable condition upon last report.

The investigations into both shootings are ongoing and police are asking anyone with information regarding these incidents to contact Los Banos Det. Justin Melden at 827-7070 ext. 114 or Investigative Sgt. Zina Holden at 827-7070 ext. 147.