Fresno Venezuelan Community Struggles to Reach Family After Quake

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that it will retry a man on a murder charge stemming from a deadly shooting at a Trader Joe's in Silver Lake in 2018. The decision comes after a jury deadlocked earlier this year on the most serious count against the defendant, 31-year-old Gene Evin Atkins.

Atkins is accused of opening fire inside the grocery store on July 21, 2018, killing one woman and injuring several others. The shooting, which prompted a three-hour hostage standoff with police, resulted in the death of 27-year-old Melyda Corado, a store manager.

Authorities say Atkins entered the Trader Joe's after fleeing from police following a domestic dispute with his grandmother.

During the initial trial, which concluded in February 2024, the jury convicted Atkins on multiple counts, including attempted murder and assault with a firearm, but could not reach a unanimous verdict on the murder charge. The deadlock forced Judge Sam Ohta to declare a mistrial on that specific count.

Prosecutors have now signaled their intent to proceed with a retrial, which is expected to begin later this year.

Atkins' defense attorney argued during the first trial that his client did not intend to kill anyone and that the death of Corado was a tragic accident. However, prosecutors maintained that Atkins' actions were deliberate and that he bears full responsibility for the chaos and violence that unfolded inside the store.

The case has drawn significant attention due to the traumatic nature of the incident, which left shoppers and employees trapped inside the store as gunfire erupted. The retrial is set to take place in downtown Los Angeles, and a date has yet to be scheduled.

Atkins remains in custody without bail.

Southern California Edison (SCE) de-energized electrical lines at approximately 3:00 a.m. this morning, initiating a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in the Bear Valley area.

The move comes as a precaution against high winds and elevated fire danger forecasted for the region.

Bear Valley Electric Service (BVES) is working to restore and maintain power to as many customers as possible using its small power plant. However, BVES has very limited capacity, and some or all customers may experience outages during the period of concern, which runs from 12 p.m.

Friday, June 26th, through 12 a.m. Sunday, June 28th.

Residents whose power has been restored are urged to minimize electricity usage by turning off unnecessary lights and appliances, and reducing overall consumption. This conservation effort will help BVES provide service to the maximum number of customers while the PSPS remains in effect.

SCE has placed two of the BVES transmission lines on its Monitored Circuit List for potential PSPS activation due to high winds and critical fire conditions. The utility advises customers to take protective measures, such as using surge protectors for sensitive electronics and assembling an emergency kit with flashlights, a battery-operated radio, non-perishable food, water, a first aid kit, and other essentials.

In addition, residents should keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Food in the refrigerator can stay fresh for about four hours, while food in a freezer can last up to 48 hours.

BVES continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates as conditions evolve.

A hazardous materials incident at a Fresno apartment complex led to evacuations and a major street closure Thursday morning after residents reported feeling ill, with investigators suspecting possible fentanyl exposure. The Fresno Fire Department responded around 10:30 a.m.

to the Renaissance at Alta Monte, a multifamily complex, following reports of coughing and vomiting in one unit. Upon arrival, two individuals on the first floor complained of not feeling well.

Fire officials determined that an irritant appeared to be causing the symptoms, and during the investigation, a potential fentanyl problem was linked to the incident. The building was evacuated, and some residents were instructed to shelter in place.

Law enforcement, emergency medical services, and Environmental Health personnel were on scene. Crews searched the first floor but did not locate the source of the irritant.

The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Fresno Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration for further inquiry into possible use and manufacture of fentanyl. One person was treated at the scene and released, while a second was transported to Community Regional Medical Center for further treatment.

Blackstone Avenue was closed from Illinois Avenue to Belmont Avenue during the response. The incident remains under investigation.

A Fresno man was sentenced to 15 years and 10 months in federal prison Monday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl through the U.S. Mail.

Isaac James Ocejo, 22, of Fresno, appeared before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L.

Thurston, who handed down the sentence, announced U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.

Court documents reveal that between July 2023 and October 2024, Ocejo mailed multiple packages containing methamphetamine and fentanyl from post offices in Fresno to addresses in other states. In total, Ocejo and his co-conspirators shipped over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than a kilogram of fentanyl through the mail.

Additionally, they distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine within Fresno.

In August 2024, Ocejo sold 10 pounds of methamphetamine to an individual in Fresno. The following month, Ocejo and co-defendant Isaac Estrada sold another 10 pounds to an individual at Trolley Creek Park in Fresno in broad daylight.

Ocejo pleaded guilty on January 26, 2026. Estrada had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distributing methamphetamine in August 2025 and was sentenced to 46 months in prison on November 7, 2025.

The investigation was conducted by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.

For many years, the Community Justice Alliance (CJA), a nonprofit legal aid organization with offices in Sacramento and Fresno, provided long-term support for immigrant youths, including unaccompanied minors who arrived in the U.S. before age 18 without legal status or a parent or guardian.

The group offered legal casework, leadership training, and weekly meetups, serving as what Executive Director Kristina McKibben-Sias called "a refuge" for these vulnerable young people. However, recent policy changes under the Trump administration have forced the organization to shift its focus to rapid-response emergency assistance to prevent detention and deportation.

At the heart of the crisis is the federal government's decision to rescind deferred action for youths with Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status. SIJ status is a federal classification for immigrants under 21 who cannot reunite with one or both parents due to abuse, abandonment, or neglect.

For years, these youths were protected from deportation and could apply for work permits or green cards while remaining in the U.S. But in May 2025, U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ended deferred action for SIJ recipients and made it impossible to renew. Now, thousands are vulnerable.

“It's just a complete dismantling of every angle of protection that they've had,” McKibben-Sias said. The crackdown has intensified with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting "wellness checks" on unaccompanied minors, which McKibben-Sias described as terrifying.

“We receive calls from children that are shaking because there are federal agents threatening to break down their door,” she said, tearing up. Since 2015, over half a million unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S., with about 80,000 living in California.

Two such youths, identified only as Y.M. and O.L.

to protect their immigration status, illustrate the human toll. Y.M., now 18, came from El Salvador at age 13 after suffering abuse.

She recently graduated high school and dreams of becoming a psychologist to help other victims. But she lives in fear: “I feel really scared on my way to school, that immigration officials might pick me up.” O.L., 19, emigrated from Guatemala at 14 hoping for better opportunities and dreams of starting a landscaping business.

He has not yet graduated high school, as the current immigration climate has made everything “impossible.”

Legal experts warn that the policy change puts hundreds of thousands of SIJ-approved youths at risk. “The Trump administration has put hundreds of thousands of young people with special immigrant juvenile status at risk of being deported before they can apply for their green cards,” said Ellie Norton of the National Immigration Project.

Rachel Davidson, a program director with the same group, added, “They’re in a years-long process that they were going through and they thought that they were protected.” The National Immigration Project and other organizations have sued the federal government to restore deferred action, arguing that federal code requires youths to be physically present in the U.S. to apply for SIJ protections, making deportation a permanent barrier to their legal status.

A long backlog for visa approvals and a quota system further compound the problem. Deferred action for these youths was only introduced in 2022; before that, most administrations did not prioritize deporting them.

But since January 2025, everything has changed. “Congress created special immigrant juvenile status as a pathway to permanent protection for young people who are extremely vulnerable,” Davidson said.

“If you interrupt the pathway by deporting them in the middle, that means you're not understanding the purpose of the statute, which is to protect them.” For now, youths like Y.M. and O.L.

face a deeply uncertain future in California, caught between their aspirations and a federal policy that has stripped away their protections.