Man killed in shooting at Halloween party near Farmersville identified

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Authorities have identified a man killed in a shooting at a Halloween party in Tulare County over the weekend.

Chaos and multiple gunshots woke local neighbors on Road 166 near Farmersville around 1 a.m. Sunday.

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said she heard six shots.

The gunfire woke her and her month-old baby.

She quickly called 911, looked outside and saw people running and an injured man lying on the ground.

“It’s sad because I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in the area,” the neighbor said.

The crime scene tape was still visible Monday.

It’s where police say the shooting victim, 25-year-old Angel Cruz Puga of Farmersville, died.

Tulare County Sheriff’s detectives say shortly before everything unfolded, a fight involving the victim occurred.

“We found out there was a big Halloween party going on. The victim arrived at the party and started to feel uncomfortable, and decided to leave, and when he left, the incident started and then the murder started. Something happened,” Tulare County Sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Clower said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the homeowners threw a small party for family and friends.

Only about 40 people were supposed to be there, but over 200 showed up.

Detectives say this isn’t the first time a night of Halloween fun has gotten out of hand.

“We had a similar incident to this at a Halloween party a few years ago in the Strathmore area, and it’s really imperative that if you’re hosting a social media party there and it starts to get out of hand, that you first have to call the police. it’s escalating,” Lt. Clower said.

Officers are examining evidence.

They say the investigation was challenging because people were dressed up in costumes.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

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