On the night of May 5, 2020, 19-year-old Blake Medeiros was one of three young men killed in a shooting in the parking lot of Golden West High School in Visalia, California. Police say shots were reported at about 11:15 p.m.; officers found Blake, Isaiah Rule, 18, and Jose Hernandez-Peña, 19, with fatal gunshot wounds. Two victims were inside a vehicle and the third was a short distance away.

Surveillance video reportedly showed a light-colored, four-door car pull up next to the victims’ vehicle, someone inside opening fire, two suspects running from the scene, and two others driving off. The Visalia Police Department described the case as the city’s first triple-homicide in its known history and offered rewards that reached $50,000. The investigation was linked to a multiagency probe into a violent gang allegedly trafficking firearms and drugs between California, Texas and Mexico.

In January 2022 authorities announced arrests in the case: 20-year-old Mark Aceves, 19-year-old Cesar Lopez, and 20-year-old Abraham Molina, who were charged in the killings; Molina pleaded not guilty. The families continue to mourn.