Man is found shot on street, police say

MERCED -- An 18-year-old man was shot and wounded early Tuesday morning in the 1400 block of Madison Court near Denver Avenue in North Merced.

Alonso Martinez was airlifted to a Modesto hospital after the 12:39 a.m. incident, Lt. Matt Williams of the Merced Police Department said.

Martinez was found lying in the street and had several gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He was conscious and alert, and the wounds appeared non life-threatening, Williams said.

Residents alerted police about shots being fired. Officers initially stopped a white sedan, but it was determined that driver was not involved. There were reports of a dark-colored small car in the area when the shooting took place.

Martinez did not have any additional information on who shot him, and there are no witnesses at this time. He had been riding his bicycle home from a friend's house when the shooting occurred, according to reports.

No further details were available about the shooting, which does not appear to be gang-related, Williams said.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Detective Sgt. Scott Skinner at (209) 385-4702, or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at (209) 385-4725.

The public can send information via anonymous text messages to the police department by dialing "TIP411" (847411) and including the word "ComVIP" as the keyword in the text.

Reporter Doane Yawger can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dyawger@mercedsunstar.com.