A Tulare County jury convicted two gang members Thursday of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of a U.S. Army veteran in Tulare, prosecutors said.

Cisco Vasquez, 30, and Saul Ingraham, 27, were found guilty in Tulare County Superior Court in connection with the Christmas Eve killing, according to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

At about 11 p.m. Dec. 24, 2020, Tulare police received multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire near San Joaquin Street between G and H streets. Officers responding to the area found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

The victim, a U.S. Army veteran who was not a gang member, was wearing blue clothing when he was killed.

Surveillance video from nearby homes captured two men fleeing the scene, prosecutors said. As officers searched the area, two men emerged from bushes on G Street and ran after seeing police.

The men, later identified as Vasquez and Ingraham, fled toward a known gang residence but were apprehended before reaching it, according to prosecutors.

During the brief chase, Vasquez dropped a 9 mm handgun that investigators later determined was the weapon used in the killing.

A jury found both men guilty of first-degree murder and found true special allegations involving the use of a firearm causing death and the special circumstance of murder committed by an active participant in a criminal street gang.

Both men face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ingraham is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18, while Vasquez is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 13 in Tulare County Superior Court.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Clare prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Tulare Police Department.

—

Connect with Anthony W. Haddad on social media. Got a tip? Send an email.