One Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting in Motel Parking Lot

FRESNO – Gunshots broke out at a party in a motel parking lot early Saturday morning following a motorcycle club rally. During the commotion, police shot a suspect running from the scene with a handgun.

Anthony Wyatt, 27

Thousands of motorcycle riders with various motorcycle clubs were in Fresno this weekend for a rally organized by the Soul Brothers club. Police say the riders don’t usually cause problems, but their gatherings sometimes attract gang members, as was the case on Saturday.

The Motel 6 parking lot on Crystal Avenue north of Olive Avenue served as the venue for a party of approximately 100 people just before 4 a.m. Police say gang members at the scene started shooting, firing around 30 rounds into the crowd.

A police officer making a traffic stop across the street ran toward the scene.

“One of the suspects involved in that shooting began to run from the location while firing into the crowd,” Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

The shooting occurred at this location

The officer saw the suspect and confronted him, but he refused to drop his weapon. The officer fired but the suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Anthony Wyatt, was able to briefly escape. He then ran into another officer, who was making a traffic stop nearby.

“That officer fired at the suspect and ultimately he fell to the ground,” Dyer said.

Wyatt was taken to the hospital where he is in stable condition. Police say he is a parolee with an extensive criminal history and is a member of a west Fresno gang.

At least one person in the Motel 6 parking lot was hit by gang members’ gunfire. No other suspects have been identified in the shooting.

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