KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Two drive-by shootings over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend killed one person and injured three others.
The Kings County Sheriff’s Office believes the two shootings are gang-related and were targeted.
The first shooting happened on the 9500 block of Garden Dr. just South of the city of Hanford on Saturday night around 5 P.M.
The second drive-by shooting happened on Grant and Park streets in Armona. A distance of just over five miles between the two crime scenes.
Deputies are searching for a mid-2000s Blue Chevrolet Silverado they say may be connected to one of the shootings.
The Sheriff’s Office is working to find out if these two shootings are connected in any way.
Neighbors are shocked after the holiday weekend turned violent.
“I was sitting on my couch and I heard the shots, and it was so loud it sounded like someone was banging on my window,” said Virginia Shipman.
Shipman didn’t see the shooting happen but saw the aftermath.
“I looked down there and I saw my neighbor’s grandson laying on the sidewalk. He had been shot in the side,” she said.
A family member tells YourCentralValley.com, the victim is a 21-year-old male. He was sitting in his car, when two men drove by in that blue Silverado in question, and fired multiple shots, according to neighbors.
A nurse who lives nearby ran to help the victim before help arrived.
“Definitely a frightening situation. Sunday morning, people are going to church and here you have a drive-by shooting,” said Sgt. Nate Ferrier with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.
This drive-by was the second one within 24 hours in Kings County.
On Saturday night, three people were shot near Hanford. One of the victims died from his injuries. The Sheriff’s Office identified him as Latuan Harris, 43.
“We’re unsure at the moment if both situations are linked together. Yeah, these were not random acts of violence. They were targeted,” said Ferrier.
Police are still trying to find out what led up to the shootings. They believe they are both gang-related, and for that reason, they do not believe the public is in immediate danger.
Neighbors, however, are still trying to understand why this would happen in their community.
“Yeah, because I’ve known these people for so long. I don’t know. Sometimes it’s getting kind of scary around here,” said Shipman.
The two victims in the Saturday night shooting, and the one victim in the Sunday morning shooting, are all expected to be okay.
If you have any information that can help in this case, please contact the Kings County Sheriff’s Office at 559-852-4554.