‘I should protect him’: Brother of man found dead in alley in Malaga
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The brother of the man found dead in an alley in Malaga spoke out about the tragedy that is now surrounding their family.
Deputies say a person discovered a body facedown in an alleyway along Frank Avenue between Muscat and Grand Avenues on April 30 at 4:40 a.m. The man was identified as 43-year-old Jonathan Franco of Fresno, and he suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was dead.
“He was well loved, well respected. He’d help you with whatever you need. He is a beautiful person,” said his brother.
Manuel Tinoco, Franco’s brother, says he found out about his brother passing from the news.
“I didn’t believe it. And I see it on the news, and I still don’t believe it. I’m still like ‘what happened?’ and it’s sad the way it happened,” he said. “They shot him in the face and they just tossed his body like he was nothing. He was somebody, he was somebody’s family. People loved him.”
Tinoco says they do not want something like this to happen to anybody else, and says he would not wish this on anybody.
The brothers had about a 10-year-age gap, and Tinoco says he, as the older brother, should protect his younger brother.
“I’m the older brother, I should protect him and watch over him. These were cowards that did this,” Tinoco said. “They took a big part of me when they did this.”
Tinoco asks anyone with information about his brother’s death to come forward and call the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
A GoFundMe page was set up to assist the family with funeral expenses. To donate, click here.
