A 16-year-old boy from Fowler was arrested Sunday night in connection with a shooting that injured two people in Fresno’s Tower District earlier that morning, Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto announced Monday.

Casto said the teen is expected to face an attempted murder charge.

“Through the help of many community members that provided video, as well as the video in the Tower District through surveillance, (officers) were able to identify the shooter as a 16 year old male,” Casto said.

Shooting Outside Tower District Nightclub

The shooting occurred shortly after midnight Sunday, with officers responding around 12:17 a.m. to an area in front of MIA Nightclub.

Police described the scene as crowded, with people standing shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalk.

Casto said a verbal altercation between two groups escalated when a male suspect pulled out a gun and fired nine rounds at close range toward one of the victims.

“It’s clear that there was some kind of a verbal disagreement,” Casto said.

One person involved in the confrontation was struck by gunfire, along with a bystander who was hit by a stray bullet while waiting in line to enter the nightclub, police said.

Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries to their extremities.

Fowler Teen Arrested Sunday Night

By Sunday night, officers from the Fresno and Fowler police departments, along with the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium, surrounded a residence connected to the suspected shooter.

After about an hour, officers breached the door and took the teen into custody without further incident, Casto said.

The teen was booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus. Police are working with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether additional charges will be filed.

Suspect Has Gang Connections

Casto said the teen has some gang connections, which detectives are continuing to investigate.

Investigators believe the suspected shooter was accompanied by several other people at the time of the shooting.

Casto said about 12 officers were already deployed in other parts of the Tower District when the shooting occurred and responded to the scene.