FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A 18-year-old teenager is dead, and her boyfriend is behind bars on suspicion of murder after admitting to police he shot and killed her, officials say.
The Fresno Police Department has identified 18-year-old Zoe Salinas as the young woman found shot in a car Tuesday night on Tyler Avenue and Bond Street, and the suspect as 19-year-old Jose Contreras.
Officials stated that Contreras was arrested late Tuesday night on suspicion of murder hours later after running from the scene of the shooting.
“This is not a mystery, this is not a who done it. This is simply a tragedy,” said Paul Cervantes, Lead Homicide Detective. “No matter what the dispute is about, no matter how heated the discussion is, at no point in time is it okay for an individual to pull out a firearm and kill somebody.”
Investigators stated that there are documented incidents from December 2022 where the two got into a fight.
“In that particular incident there was a verbal argument that occurred, they requested the assistance of the police. Quite frankly all it was, was a verbal argument, and documented as such,” said Cervantes.
Officials said that Salinas was found in the passenger seat of a car and rushed to the hospital where she died of her injuries.
According to investigators, Contreras then confessed he shot and killed Salinas.
“Fortunately for us, we had family members present that were able to make contact with him via cell phone, and he turned himself in,” said Cervantes.
Officials say that he is currently being monitored and is going through a mental health evaluation, after telling police he wanted to harm himself.
The Fresno Police Department is still expecting the Fresno District Attorney’s Office to charge him with murder.
There is no more public information as of now, besides the argument, that could explain what led up to the shooting.