Donald Patterson, 57, was fatally shot on April 9, 2020, in the early morning in the parking lot of a FoodMaxx on the 2000 block of W. Briggsmore Avenue in Modesto, California. Police responded to reports of gunfire just before 6 a.m.; Patterson was found with at least one gunshot wound and died shortly after being transported to a local hospital.

The investigation led to two arrests. Salitiuta Alae Matau, 32, was arrested in San Francisco and charged with first-degree murder and special circumstances including murder during an attempted carjacking, murder during an attempted robbery, and murder to further the activities of a criminal street gang. Nineteen-year-old Kahlil Thorne was arrested the day of the shooting and booked on charges of homicide and attempted robbery. The charges named multiple victims, including Patterson, Damien McGee, and an unidentified woman referred to as Jane Doe.

Questions were raised about security in the FoodMaxx parking lot and whether property management could have done more to protect patrons; the Murray Law Firm called for an immediate inspection of the property. Does anyone have information about that morning or the scene that could help clarify what happened?