Update: Woman killed after getting dragged 8 miles in Fresno. Police found this truck
Officers are investigating a fatal hit-and-run in northwest Fresno in which a woman was dragged for about eight miles Friday, according to police.
A 911 caller reported suspicious behavior about 1 a.m. in the parking lot of the La Quinta Inn near Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard, where police arrived to find the partial remains of a 29-year-old woman, police said in an update Friday.
After reviewing surveillance footage, police said they determined the driver of a full-sized Chevrolet Silverado struck a pedestrian and a dog and did not stop, dragging the woman for approximately eight miles from the intersection of Herndon and Milburn avenues to the hotel parking lot.
Friday evening police update
Fresno Police Lt. Brian Valles said the full-sized Chevrolet Silverado was located around 3 p.m. Friday when an officer pulled into an apartment complex in the 5500 block of North Figarden Drive.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit arrived and confirmed it was the suspect’s vehicle, who was identified by police as 38-year-old Shawn Ginder of Fresno.
The vehicle was towed.
Valles said the suspect lives in the apartment complex and wasn’t found.
“We’re asking anyone with any information of his whereabouts to notify police and provide them to us,” Valles said. “We’re also asking that if he’s monitoring the updates on this investigation to call police and turn himself in, whether it’s in Fresno or wherever he may be.”
Friday morning police update
The woman was pushing a shopping cart and walking with a dog on a leash, police said in an update on Friday.
Police initially said the victim’s body was too badly damaged for police to be able to immediately say the age or gender of the person. About 9 a.m. Friday police said the victim was a woman, according to a news release.
Lt. Bill Dooley said in an update about 10 a.m. that the driver attempted to rent a room at the La Quinta but was turned away because the rooms were full.
He said surveillance video caught the woman being struck, adding that the video will not be released. “There is no dignity; there is nothing to gain from releasing this,” he said. “This is a tragedy.”
The woman is believed to have been homeless, Dooley said. She was in a crosswalk, but it’s unclear if she had the right of way.
Fresno police looking for truck in hit-and-run
The truck was last seen headed south on Cornelia Avenue toward Shaw Avenue, police said.
Police described the truck as a newer model gray or silver full-size Chevrolet Silverado with a crew cab. It also has a moon roof, light bar and a silver toolbox in the bed.
The truck appears to have significant front-end damage from the collision, according to photos provided by police.
There have been 18 vehicle-related deaths in the city of Fresno so far this year, according to police. There were 27 at the same time last year.
