In the early hours of July 5, 2023 at about 2:36 a.m., Fresno police responded to a ShotSpotter alert for around 20 rounds near East Iowa Avenue and North Fifth Street. Officers found 29-year-old Ramiro Mendoza Jr., a member of the unhoused community, lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he died. Investigators say Mendoza was targeted, though the motive remained unclear at the time.

Detectives identified 18-year-old Elijah Oupathame as the primary suspect; he was reportedly celebrating the Fourth of July nearby when he confronted and fatally shot Mendoza. Authorities later linked Oupathame to an unrelated December 15, 2022 shooting that struck several residences. The Fresno Police Department continues to seek information about these incidents and asks anyone with details to come forward.