Dinuba, California: A quiet street on Brent Avenue turned into a scene of heartbreak on April 21 when 39-year-old Irai Torres, a mother of four and hospice nurse, was shot and killed outside her home alongside her boyfriend, 51-year-old Jose Medina.
It happened in the 1200 block of Brent Avenue around 5:10 p.m., according to authorities. Police say the couple was in the driveway when 43-year-old Miguel Angel Saldana, identified as Torres’s ex-husband, opened fire on them.
Both Torres and Medina were struck multiple times. They were found outside the residence and pronounced dead at the scene. The sudden violence left neighbors stunned and struggling to understand what led to such an outcome in a normally quiet area.
Saldana, a resident of Reedley, allegedly fled the scene in a white truck after the shooting. Police later tracked him down and arrested him outside the Dinuba Police Department. He was taken into custody without incident.
Investigators say he is now facing two counts of murder and is being held without bail. Body camera footage reportedly shows him calm and compliant as officers detained him hours after the killings, a detail that has added to the shock surrounding the case.
In the aftermath, family members stepped in to support Torres’s children. A GoFundMe campaign organized by her niece was launched to help cover funeral costs and ongoing care for her four children, who range in age from a young child to adulthood.
Torres is being remembered as a devoted mother who worked in hospice care and stayed deeply involved in her children’s lives. Friends and relatives described her as the kind of person who showed up consistently, especially for her kids’ activities and daily needs.
The Dinuba community and local school district have also responded with grief support, offering counseling to students and families affected by the loss as the investigation continues.
