‘He just stood there and shot him.’ Fresno man will be tried on double murder charges

Fresno County Judge Heather Mardel Jones ruled Tuesday there’s enough evidence for the murder case against defendants Juan Carlos Canada and his brother Mark Urbano to proceed.

Canada, 23, is charged with two counts of murder involving the deaths of Roman Cervantes, 43, and Jose Herrera Mojica, 27. He’s also facing two counts of attempted murder and assault by means likely to produce great bodily harm for shooting a 46-year-old man and 17-year-old boy.

Urbano, 20, is charged with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and accessory after the fact/knowledge of a crime.

Police said the two killings happened Feb. 6, 2022 at about 6 p.m. at an apartment complex in the area of South Clara Avenue and East Lorena Avenue.

When police arrived they found Cervantes, who was the uncle of the defendants, and Mojica dead at the scene. Another man and a juvenile injured in the shooting were taken to Community Regional Medical Center and treated for their injuries.

Fight led to shooting

During the preliminary hearing, several witnesses described how a physical fight involving defendants Canada and Urbano against a 17-year-old, escalated into gunfire coming from at least three weapons, said prosecutor Amy Cobb.

The city’s ShotSpotter system alerted police to 21 gunshots coming from the scene.

Roxanna Hererra, who is the sister of victim Jose Hererra Mojica, testified Tuesday that she and her brother Jose had just returned from walking to a neighborhood grocery store when they saw Canada arguing with the juvenile.

Hererra said at first they stood outside their grandmother’s apartment, watching. “But then I saw Carlos (Juan Carlos Canada) pull out a gun, cock it and start yelling, ‘you guys want to fight, you guys want to fight,’” she testified.

Ramon Cervantes, the uncle of the brothers, approached Canada and tried to calm him down. It didn’t work, she testified. Urbano soon drove up and the brothers began to swing at the 17-year-old.

Jose Herrera Mojica and his brother Abraham stepped in to help the 17-year-old, Hererra said. Jose picked up both of the brothers and threw them to the ground, hoping it would end the fight, she added.

“But after he (Juan Carlos Canada) got dropped to the ground, he got up and started shooting,” Hererra said. “It was like fireworks.”

That was also when Hererra says she saw her big brother Jose Herrera Mojica get shot by Canada.

“He just stood there and shot him,” she said. “Abraham ran to him and caught him just before he was about to fall.”

She said Canada continued “shooting crazy” as he and Urbano fled in a car.

After the gunfire was over, Jose Hererra Mojica was dead as was Ramon Cervantes.

The 17-year-old was shot in the leg as was a 46-year-old man. The juvenile is believed to have fired an AR-15 style weapon, according to Cobb.

Meanwhile, a friend of the Herrera brothers testified Tuesday that he fired a .40 caliber ghost gun into the air, once or twice, to try scare Canada, the shooter. The gun has since been turned over to police.

If convicted on all counts and allegations, Canada would face life in prison without the possibility of parole or death, if the district attorney’s office pursues that option.

Urbano could receive a maximum of four years and eight months in prison, if convicted.