Fresno County Authorities Say Friends Staged Fake Robbery Shooting

By Anthony W. Haddad

Published 3 weeks ago on

August 7, 2025

Fresno County authorities say two 19-year-old friends staged a shooting and falsely reported it as a robbery attempt. (Fresno County SO)

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A reported shooting during a robbery attempt in Fowler last month was staged, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Just after 5 p.m. on July 16, Fowler Police and sheriff’s deputies responded to a neighborhood near Temperance and Adams Avenues and found Diego Diaz, 19, suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Diaz told deputies he was shot during a robbery near Highland and American Avenues.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Property Crimes Unit began investigating and interviewed Joseph Garcia, 19, who was reportedly with Diaz at the time of the shooting.

Investigators said the men’s stories didn’t add up, prompting further questioning. Detectives later determined the two friends had devised a plan for one of them to shoot the other.

Authorities said the motive behind the scheme remains unclear.

The case has been forwarded to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Diaz and Garcia could face charges of filing a false police report and negligently discharging a firearm.

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Anthony W. Haddad,

Multimedia Journalist

Anthony W. Haddad, who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with his undergraduate degree and attended Fresno State for a MBA, is the Swiss Army knife of GV Wire. He writes stories, manages social media, and represents the organization on the ground.