SAN FRANCISCO — On Friday, August 14, the division of the FBI in San Francisco announced the arrest of a man who they claimed killed a 15-year-old boy back in 2019.
According to a public statement released by the FBI, the suspect related to the crime has been identified as Fernando Madrigal, who they say is a member of a gang named Mission District Norteños. The gang has a long history of violence, homicides, beatings, stabbings and drive-by-shootings.
Craig Fair, deputy special agent and leader in charge of the FBI San Francisco Division, said on a video that after investigating the crime and examining the evidence, they determined that the murder was related to a territorial dispute of Madrigal’s gang with a rival group. The San Francisco Police Department and the US Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation. Special agent Fair said that the FBI SWAT team was present in the arrest due to the violent nature of the alleged murder.
Authorities said that on July 8, 2019, the victim was shot in the back near his home in Mission District and when officers arrived, they found he was not breathing. First responders pronounced him dead 10 minutes after the shots were fired.
In the announcement of Madrigal’s arrest, agent Fair referred to the murder as being “senseless and horrific.” He also stated that the FBI was working with the SFPD to investigate street violence.
“The FBI and SFPD are highly effective partners, dedicated to keeping the city of San Francisco safe. We work hand-in-hand to arrest violent offenders,” Fair said. “We will continue to investigate street violence that’s targeting the children of our city, and, disproportionally, communities of color and people who are struggling to get by.”
A month earlier from the boy’s murder, Fernando Madrigal was allegedly shot while riding a vehicle in San Francisco. In a GoFundMe page that was launched in 2019 to raise money for his physical therapy, the man was described as a “youth leader and community activist.” According to Ruth Barajas, the woman who started the fundraiser, Madrigal was on a mission to help young people affected by violence and incarceration.
“As a young person who spent most of his teen years incarcerated, Fernando often advocates for effective approaches to serving youth impacted by trauma, and was an instrumental advocate for the closure of SF Juvenile Hall,” said Barajas in the description of the GoFundMe.
In a tweet from the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, Madrigal was cited for allegedly helping in a rally that was held in April of that year to shut down the juvenile hall.
“I’m a one strike felon. I was locked in my cell for one whole month, with 30 minutes out in the morning & 30 at night. How can you lock up a young person like that for one whole month? We can use this land for transitional housing for youth!” said Madrigal during the rally.
This FBI said this is an ongoing case.
