Fresno murder victim shot while reclined in his red Lincoln Town Car, witness testifies
Two years before 27-year-old Andrew Hammond of Coarsegold was accused of fatally shooting a man inside an east central Fresno garage, he was involved in another killing outside of a home where people gathered to pray for a recently deceased relative.
Hammond, who is charged with the murders of three Fresno men, was in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing before Judge Kimberly A. Gaab.
Hammond is accused of fatally shooting 41-year-old Fernando Gonzales on September 28, 2020, 47-year-old Steven Rice on October 21, 2022, and Brandon Munoz, 39, on November 2, 2022.
Prosecutor Kelly Smith presented details Monday on how a fight between two men led Hammond to fatally shoot Rice, the alleged aggressor in the fight.
Hammond was in a similar situation two years prior and the results were the same.
Smith said Hammond and Gonzales crossed paths in late September at a home in the 4600 block of E. Washington, just south of Belmont. The family of the home was holding a prayer service for a relative who passed away.
Hilario Gutierrez, one of the testifying witnesses, said he drove Gonzales, a longtime friend and brother-in-law, to the home that day. The family who lived in the home were relatives of Gutierrez’s wife.
Under questioning by Smith, Gutierrez acknowledged Gonzales had been drinking that night and was in no shape to drive. Gutierrez drove Gonzales’s red Lincoln Town Car to the home.
Gutierrez said he did not immediately recognize anyone as they sat in the driveway. Gonzales got out and began talking to one man. But the two men began arguing loudly and cussing at each other, Gutierrez testified.
The man who began arguing with Gonzales called him a scrap, a derogatory term for a Sureno gang member. Gutierrez admitted Gonzales was a Sureno gang member.
The man told Gonzales to leave, saying that if he didn’t he would get his gun, Gutierrez said.
Smith asked Gutierrez if he recognized that man in the courtroom. He said yes and pointed to Hammond.
After the argument, the two men left in the Lincoln Town Car, but later returned, parking in the driveway. They remained in the car, seats reclined as Gonzales fell asleep.
That’s when Gutierrez said Hammond with a gun in his hand approached the car. He pointed it at Gonzales and began firing.
“I heard six shots,” Gutierrez said. “I was completely lost when I started hearing the gunshots. And then I saw Fernando, and I tried to move him and he was not moving.”
Gutierrez said he remained in the car until paramedics and police arrived.
Hammond’s attorney Richard A. Beshwate, Jr., asked the witness if he was sure his client was the shooter. At one point Gutierrez identified Hammond by the name of a different man who was also at the house.
Smith asked Gutierrez to take a hard look at Hammond to make sure he is the man who shot Gonzales. He said he remembered his neck tattoo that reads ‘Floradora.’
“Yes, yes, it’s him,” he said.
The preliminary hearing continues Thursday. If Hammond is convicted on all charges he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
