Halloween party attended by hundreds turns dark when shooting leaves man in critical condition

Two men are sought in a shooting at a large Halloween party in north Modesto that badly wounded a man, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Minutes after 11 p.m., a deputy responded to a property at 4400 Coffee Road, north of Claratina Avenue, after noise complaints, Sgt. Tom Letras said Thursday morning.

Just as the deputy arrived at the property, which includes a few residences and other buildings, another call came in that someone was just shot there. “So he ends up locating people who say their buddy was shot and was being loaded into a car to be taken to the hospital,” Letras said.

Instead, the deputy cleared an ambulance into the scene, whose crew treated the victim and took him to the hospital. He had been shot multiple times and was in critical condition, Letras said. The latest word on his condition, the sergeant said, was that he was in stable but at least serious, if not still critical, condition.

Perhaps 200 people were at the party and began clearing out after the shots were fired, Letras said. The Sheriff’s Department helicopter provided cover for additional deputies who went to the scene. It also looked for the two suspects, described only as black males, who last were seen fleeing through an orchard.

Deputies detained a number of people for interviews, Letras said. “We made contact with several people who were underage ... down to their mid-teens.”

The shooting, which appears gang-related, Letras said, does not at this time appear related to the fatal shooting of a man hours earlier at 3701 Coffee, less than a mile south. The Modesto Police Department is investigating the homicide.

The party shooting was among many calls that kept sheriff’s deputies busy on Halloween night, Letras said. “I’ve worked a lot of Halloweens. They’re usually off the hook when it’s on a weekend, but not on a weekday.”

A lot of the calls were drunk-in-public and the like, he said, but there was a serious hit-and-run in Waterford. It occurred on the 13700 block of Yosemite Boulevard, and the victim is a 39-year-old man.

“It sounds like he was crossing outside any crosswalk,” Letras said, and he was struck by a dark sedan whose driver continued east on Yosemite after the collision.

The victim is in serious condition but expected to survive, the sergeant said.

Anyone with information on the shooting or the hit-and-run is urged to call the Sheriff’s Department at 209-525-7114 or Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org.

This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 10:52 AM.