PLANADA, CA – A backyard New Year’s Day celebration was turned into a violent shooting scene as witnesses described a person in a dark colored sweatshirt with a hoodie walking up to the festivities with a handgun and firing almost a dozen shots. Sheriff’s dispatchers received multiple calls of shots fired at approximately 1:30 am early Monday morning to a residence on Carson Street in Planada.

A 20-year-old man who was only identified as being from Planada was wounded in the back and taken to a regional hospital. No other updates have been given regarding the victims condition.

Man Shot On Same Street On July 4, 2017

“We’ve been having a lot of gang activity on Carson lately,” Merced County Sheriff Warnke said, “and we plan to deal with that issue.” Just how remains to be seen as Merced County saw a spike in homicides in 2017 including one that occurred on the same street as Monday’s attack.

18-Year-old Andrew Guzman was shot on July 4, 2017 when a gunfight broke out between rival gangs. According to Sheriff’s investigators, Guzman was alleged to have been inside of a car when he started shooting at a group of people on Carson Street in Planada. The group returned wounding Guzman who then crashed  into a house a short distance from the original shooting. Guzman was pronounced dead three days later at a Modesto area hospital.

No arrests have been made in connection with Guzman’s murder.

This is the first homicide in Merced County for 2018.

If you or anyone you know has information regarding this or any other Merced County crime, you are asked to please contact the Merced County Sheriff’s Office at 209-385-7445 or 385-7472. All tips are confidential and callers may remain anonymous at their request.