Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

2 killed, 1 critically injured in shooting just outside Atwater

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Two people were killed in an overnight shooting in Merced County and a third is in the hospital with serious injuries.

It happened just outside of Atwater on Saturday, days after two other, unrelated, deadly shootings.

Sheriff’s investigators say the shooting happened off Santa Fe Drive and Franklin Road.

All four shooting happened in that area, within a 5-mile radius.

RELATED: Man killed in early morning shooting in Atwater, police say

Authorities haven’t released any victim information about Saturday’s shooting but say two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

The third was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Atwater’s police chief says the series of shooting is part of a concerning trend.

Days before, a man was shot and killed at Buhach Colony High School, just two miles down the road.

And a week before that, a man was shot and killed on Mitchell Lane, about five miles away.

“The trend is striking, we’ve had two homicides in the last 7 days. That’s not usual for Atwater at all,” said police chief Michael Salvador.

Salvador said the man killed in the parking lot of the high school last week was from Merced and that it was likely the result of a drug deal.

He says the man killed last weekend on Mitchell was not from Atwater either.

“We’re going to try to make sure our residents know that this is a safe community, we know it’s a safe community. Yes, we’ve had some incidences unfortunately so have our neighbors,” he said.

He said he’s concerned with the increase in homicides in his city and neighboring areas.

That’s why this holiday weekend there are more police on the streets, working to keep people in Atwater safe.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting that happened on Saturday night.

So far, no arrests have been reported, but investigators are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact them at (209) 385-7445.

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