Vigil for 24-year-old security guard shot and killed
FRESNO, Calif. Aug 31 2021 A vigil was held Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for 24-year-old Philip Frusetta, the father and security guard found shot in the chest at Motel 6 where he was working.
The vigil was held in front of Motel 6 on Blackstone and Griffith in Fresno where Frusetta worked as an unarmed security guard for a local security company.
The murder happened on Tuesday, August 24th. According to the Fresno Police Department, officers responded to the call, which came in at 10:19 p.m.
Police say they found Philip Frusetta unresponsive on the second-floor landing of the Motel 6 where he worked as an unarmed security guard.
He had been shot in the chest and police say first responders tried to save his life but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Frusetta leaves behind a 4-year-old son whose mother died two years ago this month.
“I want justice for the person that shot my son,” said Christy Hernandez, Frusetta’s mom.
“Philip was a god-fearing man, very hard-working, the last three months he’s been working two jobs, seven days a week,” said Nickolas Cropper, Frusetta’s cousin.
Cropper says his cousin was working full-time in a warehouse and part-time as a security guard at the Motel Six.
“The reason why he was doing all this was to get his son Mason back,” said Cropper, “He was trying to get a place and that was the final step for him to get his son back, he did all his classes, he was doing everything.”
Mason’s mom, Mina Serrano, died two years ago after being hit by a drunk driver with their two-year-old in the car.
“You know after she died it devastated him and then it was downhill from there,” said Cropper, “And then obviously we’re all human, we make mistakes but unlike a lot of people he was very much trying to change his life, he got baptized he started going to church became very hard-working.”
“Just to see this happen after he was working so hard it really hurts,” said Cropper.
Police say the call came in at 10:19 Tuesday night and despite lifesaving efforts, Frusetta died at the scene and now his family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for a funeral and headstone.
“It’s for his celebration of life, the headstone, we want to get them a nice headstone,” said Cropper, “And we want to make sure that my little cousin is sad or at least have something to start with later on.”
“If he could speak to me I know he would tell me not to grieve,” said Hernandez, “How much how much we love him still, and only is the empty please that no one else can fill.”
“Now the family is mourning the loss of the 24-year-old father and asking anyone with information about this homicide to come forward.
The family says it wants justice for Frusetta and for his son Mason who is still in foster care.
Frusetta’s mother says she’s working on getting custody of the 4-year-old.
Police are asking for the community’s help and encourage anyone who has information to contact the Fresno Police Department (Fresno PD Case# 21046128) or Crime Stoppers at 498-STOP.
