Authorities say the woman’s ex-husband was arrested after a vehicle-tracking effort across two cities.
DINUBA, Calif. — A double killing outside a Dinuba home left two families grieving and a Reedley man facing murder charges after police said he shot his ex-wife and her boyfriend.
The deaths of Irai Torres, 39, and Jose Medina, 51, drew a response that reached beyond police tape on Brent Avenue. School officials offered support to a student connected to one victim. Medina’s relatives described him by his nickname, “Pepe,” and said his two sons were left without their father. Prosecutors charged Miguel Angel Saldana, 43, with two counts of murder and said he remains in custody without bail.
For neighbors and relatives, the first public facts came from the sound of sirens and the arrival of officers in the 1200 block of Brent Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. on April 21. Police said several 911 calls came from the residence or nearby area. When officers reached the home, they found Torres and Medina in the driveway, each suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Dinuba Police Chief Abel Iriarte said both victims were already dead when officers arrived. “Dinuba Police Department received multiple 911 calls,” Iriarte said, describing the response that began the homicide investigation.
Police later said the suspected gunman was Torres’ ex-husband. Saldana and Torres shared at least one child, according to investigators. Medina was Torres’ boyfriend. Authorities have not released a detailed account of the relationship between Saldana and Medina, nor have they said whether there had been recent police calls involving Saldana and Torres. Iriarte told local reporters the shooting was a crime of passion and said Saldana “lost his temper.” The chief’s description gave the public a broad motive, but it did not answer what happened in the moments before the first shot.
The personal loss became clear as the victims’ names spread through Dinuba and surrounding communities. The Dinuba Unified School District said it was providing support because one victim was related to a student in the district. Superintendent Marti Kochevar said the district was focused on being present for those affected. “It is a tragic loss,” Kochevar said. “There is just no doubt about it, and it takes time to process.” The statement showed how quickly a criminal case can reach children, classrooms and staff members who were not at the scene but felt the loss.
Medina’s relatives later asked the community for help with funeral expenses and support for his sons. They said he was known as Pepe to those who loved him. That public appeal added a family portrait to the official case file, which lists victims by age, name and cause of death. Relatives described shock and grief, while authorities focused on evidence. Together, those accounts presented two views of the same event: a homicide investigation built around vehicles, warrants and charges, and a family rupture built around children who no longer have a parent.
Police said the search for Saldana moved fast after the shooting. Investigators said he fled in a white Toyota truck and drove to Reedley, where he lived. Officers then learned he had changed vehicles. Dinuba detectives coordinated with Reedley police, and a surveillance team followed the second vehicle back into Dinuba. The route mattered because it tied the alleged flight from the driveway to a later arrest near the Dinuba Police Department. Investigators said they recovered both vehicles involved and believed they had also recovered the gun used in the shooting.
Body-camera footage from the arrest showed a quiet ending to a violent afternoon. Police took Saldana into custody outside the department without incident. He appeared calm and compliant in the video, according to local reporting. Authorities have not said whether he was coming to the station to surrender. That uncertainty remains one of the open points in the timeline. Police have said only that he returned to Dinuba after switching vehicles and that officers were able to track him before the arrest.
The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges on April 23. Prosecutors said Saldana is charged with killing two people and faces allegations that he personally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury. The complaint also includes allegations tied to multiple murders, weapon use, planning, sophistication and violent conduct. Saldana pleaded not guilty at arraignment. He was ordered held without bail. Prosecutors said a conviction could bring life in prison or the death penalty, making the case one of the county’s most serious active prosecutions.
The legal process now has to sort what police believe, what witnesses saw and what physical evidence can prove. Investigators have not publicly released the 911 audio, full body-camera footage, surveillance recordings, autopsy details or the contents of search warrants. They also have not said whether the alleged firearm was recovered from a vehicle, a home or another location. Those facts could become important as attorneys test the timeline and the allegations of planning. The defense has not publicly laid out its case beyond Saldana’s not guilty plea.
Dinuba sits in California’s Central Valley, where nearby cities such as Reedley and Visalia are closely linked by work, family and school ties. That geography shaped the investigation. A shooting in one city led detectives to a home in another, then back to Dinuba, then into Tulare County Superior Court. It also shaped the mourning. The deaths were not contained to a single block. They moved through families, school networks and relatives trying to make arrangements while a criminal case began.
Miguel Saldana remained in jail without bail as the case moved toward a preliminary hearing conference set for May 4. For the families of Torres and Medina, the next court date offered no quick resolution, only the first steps in a prosecution expected to examine the shooting, the flight and the evidence police say they recovered.
Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.