Boy shot in stomach on Thanksgiving

FRESNO – A nine-year-old boy was hit by a bullet during a drive-by shooting in Southwest Fresno on Thanksgiving Day.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 in the 700 block of Mono Street. The young boy, Davione St. Mary, was sitting in the back seat of a car parked outside of a relative’s house during a family gathering. Around 25 people were at the house, both inside and outside, police said.

Victim Davione St. Mary

According to police, a dark SUV drove by the house and shots were fired. Several bullets went through the parked car and St. Mary was hit in the stomach.

St. Mary was taken to the hospital, where he underwent two surgeries. On Friday, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer described the boy’s condition as “touch and go,” adding that he had lost a lot of blood and had a very serious injury.

Dyer said that it was unclear whether St. Mary was the intended target or whether the gunman acted alone. Dyer believes the shooting could be related to prior shootings and could have been an act of retaliation.

“We do believe it was motivated by gang involvement,” he said.

Dyer feared retaliation for the boy’s shooting over the weekend and assigned 50 officers to patrol Fresno’s crime and gang hot spots. Dyer wants those who might seek revenge to instead let the police department solve the case.

“We don’t need any further acts of violence,” he said.

Detectives have yet to find the person responsible for the shooting, but Dyer said that the police department has leads and he is optimistic that the case will be solved. They have already seized an SUV as part of their investigation.

Anyone who has any information about the incident is urged to call the Fresno Police Department or CrimeStoppers at 498-STOP.

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