A former member of the Modesto Hit Squad was denied parole after 1996 shooting
A 47-year-old Modesto man who is serving 47 years to life in prison for shooting and killing Kevin Martinez in 1996 was recently denied parole, Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager announced.
On Aug. 17 1996, Chek Ngoun and other members of the Modesto Hit Squad, a local group affiliated with the Crips criminal street gang, went to a party at the Mountain View Grange Hall on Crows Landing Road.
A fight broke out between rival gang members and Ngoun shot and killed the 18-year-old Martinez.
On Sept. 7, 1996, Ngoun got into a fight with several people in the front yard of a home on Longfellow Avenue in Modesto. Ngoun went to get a gun and returned to the home, where he shot and wounded three people.
He was convicted of murder with a use of gun and a gang enhancement for the Martinez shooting, and received three counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among convictions of other charges, in the second case.
In prison, Ngoun has committed several serious violations, including battery and a coordinated attack on another inmate with his fellow gang members.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
