A Fresno man is facing murder and attempted murder charges after allegedly killing his grandmother and his fathers girlfriend while they opened gifts on Christmas Eve. He allegedly also tried shooting his father.
Austin Alvarez, 23, is now in Fresno County Jail on a 2.5 million dollar bond. He was arrested by authorities 10 miles away from the crime scene after fleeing in his truck.
Alvarez allegedly shot and killed his 58-year-old grandmother, Magdalena Alvarez, and his father’s girlfriend, Meisha Rashid as the family had gathered to exchange gifts. Officials stated as Alvarez was leaving the home following the shooting, he noticed his father was parking his car and began shooting at his father. Thankfully, his father was not hit.
Police are unsure of a motive that led to the shooting, which happened in Reedley on Friday afternoon around 1:45pm. Police responded to reports of shots fired and found the two women deceased. Officials then issued a bulletin to all surrounding officials for his arrest. A team of officers eventually tracked Alvarez down near the intersection of American and Anchor Avenues in Orange Cove and took him into custody.