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

Anthony Galaviz
·2 min read

The woman who was fatally struck and dragged for miles by a truck in northwest Fresno early Friday was identified Saturday afternoon by the county coroner’s office as 29-year-old Monique Contreraz.

The coroner said she was living in Fresno but homeless.

Police said Contreraz was pushing a shopping cart and walking a dog on a leash when she was hit near Herndon and Milburn avenues.

The vehicle, later determined to be a full-sized Chevrolet Silverado, dragged the woman’s body about eight miles before ending up at the La Quinta Inn near Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.

A 911 caller reported suspicious behavior about 1 a.m. in the hotel’s parking lot. Police found partial remains of the woman’s body.

Police initially said the body was too badly damaged to immediately identify gender or approximate age, but eventually learned more about the victim.

The driver believed to be responsible in the fatal hit-and-run was identified by police as 38-year-old Shawn Ginder of Fresno. He was arrested Friday evening and taken to Community Regional Medical Center after, authorities said, he jumped from a three-story home.

As of Saturday afternoon, he remained in serious condition, police said.

Ginder attempted to rent a room at the hotel but was turned away because the rooms were full.

Surveillance videos caught Contreraz being struck and tracked the incident to the hotel, too.

Investigators said Contreraz was in a crosswalk, but it remained unclear if she had the right of way.

Police located Ginder’s vehicle about 3 p.m. Friday upon pulling into an apartment complex in the 5500 block of North Figarden Drive.

A tow truck drives a truck involved in a fatal hit-and-run out of an apartment complex on Friday, May 13, 2022. The driver is suspected of hitting and killing a 29-year-old woman, dragging her 8 miles through Fresno.
A tow truck drives a truck involved in a fatal hit-and-run out of an apartment complex on Friday, May 13, 2022. The driver is suspected of hitting and killing a 29-year-old woman, dragging her 8 miles through Fresno.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit was able to confirm the truck 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 the Madera County Sheriff’s Office eventually located Ginder, who police said jumped out of a three-story house.

Police close off entrance to apartment complex in northwest Fresno where a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run was found in the parking lot on Friday, May 13, 2022.
Police close off entrance to apartment complex in northwest Fresno where a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run was found in the parking lot on Friday, May 13, 2022.



Fresno police released photos on Friday, May 13, 2022, of a Chevrolet Silverado they say was involved in a fatal hit-and-run earlier n the day.
Fresno police released photos on Friday, May 13, 2022, of a Chevrolet Silverado they say was involved in a fatal hit-and-run earlier n the day.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.
A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver and dragged in an incident that ended at Cornelia Avenue and Golden State Boulevard near West Shaw Avenue on Friday, May 13, 2022, according to Fresno police.