Businesses in Fresno’s Tower District are calling for action from city officials and law enforcement as a series of shootings continues to raise concerns in the popular nightlife area.
The latest deadly incident occurred last weekend, when 28-year-old Tyrone Miles was shot and killed near Olive and Linden avenues outside MIA Nightclub after nearby bars had closed. Security footage showed a group of people arguing before a gunshot was heard.
The shooting came just 48 hours after another fatal incident in central Fresno. Authorities said 25-year-old Muhammad Muhtaraam-Conley was shot during an argument outside Bulldog Liquor in the 400 block of East Shaw Avenue.
Gunfire also broke out in the Tower District last month, sending one man to the hospital. In May, 27-year-old Charles Muhammad was arrested in connection with a separate shooting.
Local business owners said the violence is hurting the district’s nightlife economy while leaving customers and merchants on edge.
“To see it at your front door, in a place that’s beloved by the community to see this type of violence happen, it’s very disheartening and discouraging to the city as well as the Tower District,” Lewis Everek, owner of Everek Hospitality Group, told ABC 30.
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, who represents part of the Tower District, said law enforcement would continue focusing on criminal activity in the area.
Visitors should expect a heightened police presence during the district’s busiest weekend hours. Arias said between 20 and 40 officers could be patrolling the area at any given time.
“If you misbehave and you’re responsible for fights, for a shooting, or any type of activity, whether it’s in Tower District or Downtown Fresno, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, you will be spending some time in jail,” Arias said.
Fresno police said no arrests had been made in Miles’ killing as of Saturday morning. Detectives are asking witnesses with information about the shooting, as well as anyone with cellphone video from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
Police identified 26-year-old Malik Upshaw and 20-year-old Sakilian Drum as suspects in the Muhtaraam-Conley shooting. Drum turned himself in, while Upshaw remains at large.