Victim in Livingston shooting homicide identified by coroner

The victim killed in a Livingston shooting Thursday night has been identified as 36-year-old Brandon Crane of Atwater, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.

The homicide was Livingston’s first in five years.

Two other men were shot during the Thursday shooting that took place around 7:32 p.m. on the 200 block of Balmoral Court.

One man remains in an area hospital in critical condition, said Livingston Police Chief Ruben Chavez. The other’s injuries were non-life-threatening.

A suspect description has not yet been released. Police are unsure at this point whether one or more suspects were involved, Chavez said.

The crime being possibly gang-motivated is one of several angles police are exploring, Chavez said.

Police are continuing to search the area for further evidence and speak with possible witnesses.

Individuals in the area have been hesitant to cooperate, Chavez said, possibly out of fear of retaliation.

“It doesn’t appear to be anything the community should be worried about,” he said. “It appears to be isolated to this one incident. I just want to put the community at ease.”

The victim had problems with the law in the years prior to his death.

Most recently, in December, Crane was arrested after allegedly being in a pursuit with Merced police. In that case, Crane pleaded no contest to misdemeanor fleeing a police officer, according to court records.

Crane in 2013 was one of three inmates who escaped from the Merced County Jail. He was later captured.

“This guy has been in the system for a long time,” said Merced County Sheriff Public Information Officer Daryl Allen.

Police ask anyone with information about the crime to call the Livingston Police Detective Bureau at (209) 394-7916.

This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 12:23 PM.