DA: Man found guilty after 2022 homicide at Visalia gas station

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Prosecutors secured a guilty verdict against a 27-year-old for murder after getting into a confrontation in a Visalia gas station in 2022, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

According to the DA, on Aug. 7, 2022, at about 1:30 a.m., 27-year-old Francisco Rodriguez and others got into a confrontation with another group inside a gas station on Lovers Lane in Visalia. A fight ensued, which eventually spilled out into the parking lot.

Officials say as one group ran to their car, Rodriguez, in possession of a handgun, fired six rounds at the group, killing a man attempting to leave in the car. The entirety of the incident was caught on surveillance video.

Soon after, the DA says Rodriguez fled to Mexico but was apprehended at the border in June 2023.

At trial, officials say Rodriguez was convicted of second-degree murder with the special allegation of personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing death.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 13 in Superior Court where Rodriguez faces life in prison, according to the DA.

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