A late-night outing turned deadly this past Saturday for 23-year-old Banwari Godara, a young man originally from San Jose who had recently relocated to Fresno. According to officials, Godara fell victim to gunfire during an incident at a truck-repair yard in an unincorporated area of Fresno County, before being driven to an urgent-care site where he was later pronounced dead. The shocking event also left a 21-year-old companion wounded, and authorities continue to treat the case as a homicide investigation.
Around 8 p.m. on October 18, law-enforcement officers from the Fresno Police Department were dispatched to a shopping-center near Shaw and Brawley Avenues in northwest Fresno after reports of gunfire. When they arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds outside an urgent-care facility, both quickly transported to Community Regional Medical Center. Tragically, Godara succumbed to his injuries, while the younger man survived and was subsequently released.
As the investigation progressed, detectives realised the origin of the shooting wasn’t inside the shopping-centre district as first believed. Instead, the gunfire erupted at a truck repair yard located along the 5400 block of South Cedar Avenue—an area under the jurisdiction of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies confirmed crime-scene evidence at the yard and determined both victims were driven away from that location in a vehicle before arriving at the urgent-care centre for help.
At this stage, no arrests have been made and officials have yet to identify any suspects or disclose a motive. Investigators are working to determine whether the victims knew the shooter or if other factors were at play. The Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit is asking anyone with information to step forward, whether directly to detectives or through an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.
Outside the investigation, friends and family are mourning the loss of Godara—a young man whose life was cut short. Local authorities hope that the community will assist in piecing together the events of that night so that answers can be found. The heartbreaking photo of such a bright life lost echoes the urgency of preventing further violence in neighbourhoods like this.
Though details remain sparse, the scene clues—victims leaving the repair yard by car, one fatality, one survivor, and no arrest yet—create a portrait of a sudden burst of violence with ripple effects. Community safety, the connections between victims and potential suspects, and the exact timeline before the drive to urgent care remain focal points of the investigation.
As the investigation continues, the words of law-enforcement ring clear: if you saw or heard anything that Saturday evening in the vicinity of the repair yard or the urgent-care facility, now is the time to speak up. Godara’s life may not be restored—but the pursuit of justice for him and his loved one
s begins now.
