Crime
Fresno DA Charges Two in Suspected Gang-Related Murder of Sacramento Man
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has filed murder charges against Malcolm Jamal McCoy, 33, and Faheem Karim Muhammad, 39, both of Fresno, for the murder of 41-year-old Adavier Thomas of Sacramento on Sunday.
Malcolm Jamal McCoy
McCoy and Muhammad also face a host of other felony charges and enhancements, including that the killing was gang-related.
“If convicted of all charges and allegations, both defendants face life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. The District Attorney’s Office is currently conducting the necessary analysis on whether to seek the death penalty and will make an announcement on that decision at a later date,” the DA’s office said in a news release on Tuesday.
It is alleged that on McCoy and Muhammad were in the parking lot at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Zack’s Market in southwest Fresno when McCoy exited a white Nissan Altima and shot at an unidentified male before shooting Thomas several times.
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Nearby Officers Follow Car, Arrest the Pair
McCoy and Muhammad fled the scene in the Nissan trailed by Fresno police officers already in the neighborhood who had heard the gunshots. The driver, Muhammad, evaded officers for a short while before being apprehended with McCoy, police said.
Faheem Karim Muhammad
After reviewing the surveillance video, officers identified McCoy and Muhammad as the shooters.
Between the homicide scene and Church and Walnut avenues, where the suspects were caught, officers said they saw them throw two guns out the car’s window. Before allegedly killing Thomas, the DA’s office said, McCoy and Muhammad are suspected of assaulting two other people with a firearm.
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Both defendants have prior felony convictions, the DA’s office said.
Thomas was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
