Homicide investigation kicks into high gear

Clovis police are pulling out the stops to investigate the city’s first homicide of 2004 but no arrests had been made late Monday, Police Chief Bill Carey said.

“We brought in all the off-duty detectives and brought in a couple of guys on day shift to take calls while the regular guys were working the scene,” Carey said. “They worked from about 4:30 (Sunday) morning to late (Sunday) night. We also have regular meetings to see where we’re at, who said what.”

According to police press releases and reports, the shooting victim, Carlos Murillo, was a 27-year-old Clovis resident who drove a 1998 Ford Explorer on numerous city streets in an apparent attempt to flee people shooting at him from another vehicle. A formal report released Monday morning indicated that officers found Murillo dead in his vehicle with a black handgun at his feet.

Police did not say whether the gun had been fired.

According to a written statement by Sgt. Roger Grah, officers executed a search warrant later Sunday at an unspecified residence where they collected evidence and seized a vehicle believed to have been involved in the shooting. The police report on the incident indicated a gold Cadillac Escalade had been seen leaving the area, but Grah could not be reached to confirm whether that was the vehicle seized for investigation.

The police incident report said Murillo was affiliated with the Surenos gang, but 9th Judicial District Attorney Brett Carter and Carey said they didn’t have enough evidence to know if the gang connection is relevant.

“I don’t want to say it was gang-related but the individuals involved were or are members of a gang,” Carter said.

Carey declined comment on the number of times Murillo had been shot, what type of gun was used, or what the motive was in the shooting.

“I will not speculate on the cause of it until the autopsy and the investigation is complete,” Carter said. “Then it won’t be my speculation, it will be facts.”