Police ask for help in shooting investigations

Police are asking the public for help investigating two shootings that occurred July 10 in a neighborhood northwest of downtown Hollister.

About 3am, Hollister Police officers received a call of gunshots heard near the 300 block of Locust Avenue, according to a July 16 press release from the police department. Officers arrived “within minutes,” but did not find any victims or property damage.

As officers continued to investigate, they found five spent bullet casings in the area, according to authorities. The officers contacted the residents of several nearby homes but still did not locate any victims or damage.

However, police obtained video footage from a nearby property depicting an older model white Jeep Grand Cherokee that drove by the area during the shooting, according to police. The video shows an occupant in the vehicle firing several rounds from the car.

Then, while officers were investigating that July 10 shooting, they learned there was an earlier shooting in the same neighborhood—this one resulting in damage to a home. Police arrived to the scene of the earlier shooting, near the 600 block of Central Avenue, but did not locate any injured victims or witnesses.

Officers did find several handgun bullet casings in the area of the Central Avenue shooting, as well as bullet holes in a nearby home.

The press release reads, “Investigators have exhausted all leads at this point and are asking for help from the community for tips or information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of those involved in this incident.”

Anyone with information about the July 10 shootings can call the Hollister Police Department at (831) 638-4115. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.