Rafael Llamas Lopez, 33, was shot and killed on July 16, 2021, around 8 p.m. near California Avenue and Highway 99 in Fresno. He was living in a homeless encampment when an armed person confronted him for reasons that remain unclear. Lopez was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and died shortly after arrival.

The Fresno Police Department called the shooting a senseless act of violence and opened a homicide investigation. Investigators appealed for witnesses after several people were at the scene but the probe initially produced few leads. On July 30, 2021, police arrested 35-year-old Lejon McCoy of Fresno and charged him with Lopez’s murder; McCoy was already in custody on unrelated charges when detectives linked him to the shooting.

Little is publicly known about motive or the events that preceded the confrontation. If anyone knew Rafael, was at the encampment that night, or has information that could clarify what happened, please come forward.