Suspect, victim were friends

William “Cisco” Riley and Roshawn “Sam L” Pitts became best friends after they met in Clovis about a year and a half ago. Both moved here from California and each was an only child, so they found a lot in common, friends said.

Now Riley, 31, is being held in jail on an open count of murder. He’s accused of shooting Pitts, 20, to death on Friday morning.

“This is all so crazy,” said Ann Parson, who operates the Learn O’Rama Day Care Center about a block from where the shooting took place. She said she knew both men well.

Riley calls Parson “Grandma” because she is the grandmother of Erica Moton, the 22-year-old mother of Riley’s two daughters, ages 11 months and 3 years old.

Riley occasionally took care of his daughters, but usually not for more than an hour or two at a time, Parson said.

Parson said Moton and Riley had been together off and on for about six years.

Riley was distraught over a recent breakup with Moton and had just returned to Clovis on Monday night after a trip to southern California to see his mother for a couple of weeks, Parson said.

“He’s just been under a lot of stress since they split up,” Parson said. “Cisco and I talked two times on Thursday and I told him to go back to California to his mother and pray and get some counseling and just give Erica some time.”

Riley told Parson he planned to take her advice and return to California.

“When I talked to Cisco on Thursday, he was saying he was just back in Clovis to sell his furniture and take care of his business and then move back,” Parson said.

Parson said Riley has called since the shooting, but she is not ready to talk to him yet because she is still trying to come to grips with what happened.

“It didn’t shock me, though, because you can see things fermenting,” Parson said.

Moton declined comment on Saturday.