Fresno PD: Suspect in fatal 2020 shooting arrested in Mexico, extradited to U.S.
Above: Damion Salinas file photo | Fresno PD
Fresno police have announced the arrest of a suspect in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred in 2020.
Around 4 AM on Sunday, August 6, 2020, officers responded the area of Belmont and Backer Avenues, where they found 36-year-old Joshua Thao had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Over the course of the investigation, detectives pieced together the chain of events as such — a family member of Thao’s had gotten into a vehicle collision, and Thao, along with other family members of both parties, arrived on scene. At some point an argument broke out, which led to one individual drawing a gun and fatally shooting Thao.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Damion Salinas, fled the area and made his way to Mexico. There he remained until earlier this year, when the Fresno Police Department received a CrimeStoppers tip regarding his whereabouts, police said.
On March 30, 2022, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force agents located and arrested Salinas in Mexico. He was later extradited back to the United States, and remains in custody on $1.5 million bail.
