A Fresno street vendor was killed Sunday afternoon by a gunshot to the head as he roamed the city streets for a living, authorities said.
According to the police, the homicide happened on Sunday, around 4:30 p.m. close to Alta and Pierce avenues. The victim was identified as 45-year-old Lorenzo Pérez.
Pérez is believed to have been killed by a person pretending to be a customer.
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According to authorities, a man shot the vendor in the head and then fled the scene with various items that he took from Pérez's cart. A detailed description of the attacker was not immediately available.
The victim was taken to a hospital, but later died.
During a press conference, the chief of police, the mayor of Fresno and local leaders requested the help of the community to find the whereabouts of the killer.
This homicide "should generate a sense of outrage, outrage within our community," said Mayor Jerry Dyer.
Pérez was well known to the residents of the area; he is survived by his wife and his four children.
Authorities are offering a $21,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the killer's capture.
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said that crime in Fresno has reached alarming levels. There have been 20 murders so far and 13 are gang-related, Balderrama said.
Only last week there were 12 shootings, resulting in a total of 142 shootings so far this year.
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