Lemoore police arrest local men for attempted murder, other charges

It was about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4 that Lemoore police officers responded to a report of five to six males fighting on North Lemoore Avenue. A caller also reported a gunshot.

As the officers were in-route, they were told that a gunshot victim was at the Lemoore Fast Trip. Upon arriving, they found a 29-year-old male with a gunshot to his lower body. He was conscious and able to speak to the officers.

The victim told police he was on Janine Way when two males approached him and demanded any property he had on him. An altercation ensued. The victim was shot. The suspects fled on foot, and the victim drove himself to the convenience store. He was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment.

At approximately 7:45 a.m. Lemoore officers were dispatched to Fox Street regarding two suspicious subjects in the area. As officers arrived and attempted to contact the men, they recognized them as possible suspects from the early morning shooting. Both subjects, a black male adult and a Hispanic male adult, fled into the adjacent neighborhood.

Suspect Ricardo Cervantes

Because the subjects were possibly armed, the Lemoore Police Department contacted Liberty Middle School to lock down the campus ensuring students and staff were safe. A search of the area was conducted with the assistance of the Kings County Gang Task Force, Kings County Sheriff’s Department, and the Kings County Probation Department. The first suspect was found on Hanover Avenue and was taken into custody without further incident. He was identified as Beunju Moon, 35, from Lemoore.

Officers continued to search the area where the suspects were last seen and located the second suspect in an apartment complex on Fox Street. He was also taken into custody and was identified as Ricardo "Ricky" Cervantes, 24, from Lemoore.

Satisfied that all suspects had been arrested, police lifted the school’s lockdown.

Officers searched the area for any items discarded by the suspects and recovered a handgun, ammunition, and personal identifying items belonging to the suspects. The suspects were interviewed, transported, and booked into the Kings County Jail on the following charges:

Moon was charged with attempted murder, robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of methamphetamine. His bail was set at $575,000.

Ricardo Cervantes was charged with attempted murder, robbery, and a parole hold. He is being held without bail.

The Lemoore Police Department is asking that anyone with information about this incident call the Lemoore Police Department at (559) 924-9574.