Suspect Killed in a Shootout After Shooting Fresno Officer and Killing Housemate.

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On October 26, 2024, at 5:20 p.m., officers from the Fresno Police Department’s Southeast Policing District responded to a two-round ShotSpotter activation in the 3700 block of East Platt Avenue. As officers were investigating the ShotSpotter call and searching the area for evidence and witnesses, a Fresno Police sergeant was parked in his marked patrol vehicle along the east curb of South Seventh Street, just south of East Verrue Avenue. A blue Nissan Frontier, driven by 40-year-old Andy Morales, approached the sergeant as he sat in his patrol car. Morales pulled up next to the sergeant and suddenly fired 10 rounds at him from an AR-type pistol. Multiple rounds fired by Morales struck the driver-side door and the engine compartment of the patrol car. Bullets penetrated the door, and the sergeant was shot twice in the left thigh and once in the right thigh.

After firing at the sergeant, Morales drove southbound on Seventh Street. Despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, the sergeant made a U-turn and initiated a pursuit. Morales drove east on Platt Avenue then turned south onto Eighth Street. After turning onto Eighth Street, Morales maneuvered his vehicle towards a fence on the west side of the street then jumped out of it as the vehicle continued moving. Once out of his vehicle, Morales began firing at the sergeant, using his vehicle as cover and taking prone positions as he repeatedly fired at the sergeant. The Sergeant returned fire, engaging in a gunfight that lasted over a minute. Assisting officers arrived and two officers fired their service weapons at Morales. Morales was struck by the officer’s gunfire. After Morales was down, the sergeant requested two ambulances, one for Morales and one for himself. A man, later identified as Morales’ father, approached Morales before he was secured by officers.

The officers quickly detained the father and escorted him away from the scene. Assisting officers provided medical aid to both the sergeant and Morales until EMS responded and transported them to the hospital. Morales was pronounced deceased a short time later at the hospital. Following the shooting, officers returned to the original ShotSpotter location on Platt Avenue and made entry into the home to check for victims. Inside the home, they found a man dead in the kitchen with multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound to the chest. It was later determined that Morales and the victim both resided in the home. A large hunting knife was found in Morales’ bedroom and he was identified as the suspect in the homicide. From the scene, officers recovered Morales’ AR-type pistol with a double stack magazine. It is estimated that Morales fired more than 20 rounds at both locations. The sergeant was released from the hospital several days later and at the time of this video release is still recovering.