The driver who allegedly struck and killed a woman then dragged her body 8 miles is arrested

UPDATE, Saturday: Woman dragged by truck, killed in hit-and-run in northwest Fresno is ID’d by the coroner

Original story:

The man believed to be responsible for killing a woman during a gruesome hit-and-run in northwest Fresno was arrested Friday night.

Fresno Police confirmed that 38-year-old Shawn Ginder of Fresno was arrested by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office around 8:30 p.m. — less than 24 hours after the suspect allegedly drove a full-size SUV and struck a woman then dragged her body about eight miles.

Fresno Police Lt. Brian Valles said officers located the suspect’s vehicle around 3 p.m. upon pulling into an apartment complex in the 5500 block of North Figarden Drive and finding a full-sized Chevrolet Silverado.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit was able to confirm the vehicle was involved in the hit-and-run and belonged to Ginder.

Valles said Ginder lives in the apartment complex but was not initially found.

The vehicle was towed, and police asked the public for help in finding the man.

The Madera County Sheriff’s Office eventually located the suspect at Bass Lake who then jumped out of a three-story house, Valles said. Ginder was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and is listed in critical condition.

Hit-and-run incident

Police said the woman who died was pushing a shopping cart and walking with a dog on a leash when she was struck near the intersection of Herndon and Milburn avenues.

The truck then dragged the woman all the way from the intersection to the La Quinta Inn Hotel near Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.

A 911 caller reported suspicious behavior about 1 a.m. at the hotel’s parking lot, where police found partial remains of the woman’s body.

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, but eventually learned the victim was a 29-year-old woman.

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 videos caught the woman being struck and ended up at the hotel, too.

Dooley said 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.