Convicted Felon Allegedly Shot His Girlfriend With Gun He Purchased Illegally, Sheriff’s Office Says

A convicted felon in California is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and then fleeing, authorities said.

Shortly after 3 a.m. on Oct. 2, deputies responding to the report of a victim suffering gunshot wounds at a home in Cantua Creek found 19-year-old Paulina Gonzalez dead, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

Homicide detectives learned Enrique Rios Hernandez, 29, was at the residence earlier the day of the murder, and they later located him in Fresno.

The sheriff’s office said detectives interviewed Hernandez, a convicted felon prohibited from having firearms or ammunition, and “learned he shot Gonzalez with a gun he had illegally purchased.”

Hernandez was arrested for murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and probation violation.

He was booked into the Fresno County jail, and his bail was set at $1.15 million.

The investigation is ongoing. Officials have not disclosed a possible motive for the shooting.