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By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 2 years ago on
February 23, 2023

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Wearing a yellow jumpsuit and in handcuffs, the man accused of killing a Selma police officer pleaded not guilty in Fresno County Superior Court on Thursday.

Nathaniel Dixon, 23, is accused of shooting and killing Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. on Jan. 31 on the streets of Selma. Carrasco reportedly spotted Dixon after responding to reports of a man acting suspiciously.

As Carrasco approached Dixon, investigators say, Dixon shot him immediately and fled. A short time later, Dixon was arrested.

Potential Death Penalty Case

Dixon faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Public defender Scott Baly entered the plea on his client’s behalf. Judge Samuel Dalesandro set a pre-preliminary hearing for April 13.

Because of the special circumstance involving the alleged murder of a police officer, this is potentially a death penalty case.

“I’m still looking for a second attorney — to get a mitigation expert and a medical doctor and, of course, an investigator. We’ll get a legal assistant on it. So we’re going to build a team and dedicate it to this case,” Baly said.

The judge ordered the media not to photograph Dixon’s face. Baly said “identity is an issue,” even though his booking photo is public.

Who is Nathaniel Dixon?

“Around age 18, he comes to Selma looking for his biological mother and father and … the trouble kind of starts in that time frame. We’ve got a lot of work to do on his case.”Defense attorney Scott Baly

Baly said that Dixon was in foster care and eventually adopted. The Dixon family lived in the Bay Area city of Brentwood before moving to Texas when Nathaniel was 11.

“Around age 18, he comes to Selma looking for his biological mother and father and … the trouble kind of starts in that time frame. We’ve got a lot of work to do on his case. There’s a lot of background information that we don’t have that we need,” Baly said.

“This case is going to get a lot of publicity. But we need more time to kind of flesh out his backstory and what happened that day.”

Baly said his client had no comment about the case.

Killing of Officer Sparks Statewide Debate

Law enforcement arrested Dixon six times in an 18-month period between 2019 and 2020. He was released early from prison in September 2022, initially sentenced to more than five years stemming from gun and drug charges in August 2020.

Dixon’s early release — because of time credits — sparked a debate through soundbites between Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Smittcamp blamed the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for giving Dixon more early release credits than he deserved. State Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, told KSEE “Sunday Morning Matters” she will call for an audit of Dixon’s time credits.

(GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)

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David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

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