No charges have been filed following an arrest in connection with the fatal Hanford shooting

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) — No charges have been filed after the 19-year-old suspect in the fatal Hanford shooting was released from prison this week.

The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon in the area of ​​Lacey Boulevard and 10th Avenue.

Hanford police say 23-year-old Cruz Avalos was turning in his car when he was shot by a person in a passing vehicle.

Avalos was taken to hospital, where he later died.

On Monday, police announced the arrest of Roman Perdue, 19, of Hanford.

“We have positively identified the suspect who is currently in custody. He is 19 years old in the city of Hanford. His name is Roman Perdue.”

The arrest came after police detained a 16-year-old suspect hours after Avalos’ murder.

Over the weekend, police said the teenager was no longer a suspect in the fatal shooting.

“It is not ideal that we initially identified another person who was not involved in our shooting at that point,” Hanford Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston said.

“We acted on the information we had and sometimes mistakes like this happened. The most important thing is to continue to investigate this thoroughly and make sure this is the right person, and we were able to determine that it was not.”

Although the 16-year-old has already been cleared of murder, he still faces charges of possessing a firearm.

Kings County sheriff’s deputies say they found a 9-millimeter handgun on him after he was arrested after fleeing the scene of an unrelated shooting that injured a man at the Santa Rosa Ranchia near Lemoore on Thursday morning.

He was charged on Monday.

“The new charges against the 16-year-old were related to crimes described by the sheriff last week,” said Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker.

Hacker says Cruz Avalos’ family has been updated on the latest developments in the case, which he hopes will bring them one step closer to justice and closure.

“I unite with them with all my heart. This is a tragic event. We truly sympathize with their situation and what they are going through,” Chief Huddleston said.

The 19-year-old suspect is currently facing a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of Cruz Avalos.

This is the third homicide this year in the city of Hanford.

On Thursday, Action News learned that Perdue was released from prison and no charges have been filed against him.

We have contacted the Kings County District Attorney’s Office but have not yet received a response.

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