On February 21, 2016, 38-year-old Alex Ballesteros of Terra Bella, California, was fatally shot in the head around 12:37 PM near Avenue 92 and Road 248. Ballesteros and a 17-year-old male were walking along the road when a vehicle approached; occupants shouted gang-related slurs, one suspect got out and opened fire. The 17-year-old escaped unharmed. An autopsy on February 23, 2016, confirmed death from a single gunshot wound to the head.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office investigated and identified two suspects. Isidro Gomez, 22, and Alfred Gomez, 19, were arrested and charged in connection with the killing; investigators reported the shooting was gang-related and that Ballesteros and his companion had been targeted over perceived gang affiliations. The community in Terra Bella was shaken by the violence.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the events leading up to it is asked to come forward.