Mario Negrete was 27 when he was killed during a home invasion at his residence on K Road, a county island in Visalia, on November 11, 2016. The attack happened about 7:15 p.m. Multiple suspects forced their way into the house where Negrete was with his wife and children; the intruders were described as wearing black hoodies and bandannas and shot Negrete multiple times in the chest. He died at the scene.

Tulare County Sheriff’s detectives, with assistance from Visalia police, opened a homicide investigation and have treated robbery as the apparent motive. It is unclear whether the suspects knew Negrete beforehand or whether the incident was gang- or drug-related. Investigators have used nearby surveillance footage to develop leads on three suspects, but the assailants fled and remain at large.

The violence, carried out in front of Negrete’s family, left the normally quiet neighborhood shaken. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office to help bring those responsible to justice.