Fresno Bulldog Liquor Shooting: Suspect Surrenders, Second Man Wanted

Fresno Bulldog Liquor Shooting: Suspect Surrenders, Second Man Wanted

Fresno police have identified two men in connection with the Fresno Bulldog Liquor shooting that left 25-year-old Muhammad Muhtaraam-Conley dead.

Police say the shooting happened late Thursday, September 24, 2026, in the parking lot of Bulldog Liquor near Shaw Avenue and Fresno Street in northeast Fresno. Investigators later identified 20-year-old Sakilian Drum and 26-year-old Malik Upshaw, both of Fresno, as suspects in the ongoing homicide investigation. crimevoice.com

Drum has since turned himself in. Meanwhile, police say Upshaw remains wanted on suspicion of murder.

Shooting Reported Outside Bulldog Liquor

Fresno Police said Northeast Policing District officers responded to 420 E. Shaw Avenue at approximately 10:32 p.m. after receiving a one-round ShotSpotter notification.

While officers were heading to the location, dispatchers received additional information that someone had been shot.

When officers arrived, they found Muhtaraam-Conley wounded in the parking lot. Officers and emergency medical personnel provided life-saving treatment before an ambulance transported him to a hospital.

Muhtaraam-Conley later died from his injuries.

FOX26 reported that he suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body. KMPH

Police Say Argument Happened Before Shooting

Homicide detectives began investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

According to Fresno Police, investigators determined that a verbal disturbance occurred in the parking lot before Muhtaraam-Conley was shot. Authorities have not publicly released a detailed account of what allegedly started the confrontation. 

ABC30 reported that detectives were reviewing surveillance cameras from businesses in the surrounding area as they worked to determine what happened. ABC30 Fresno

Police have not publicly released that surveillance footage.

Fresno Police Identify Two Suspects

By September 28, Fresno Police had publicly identified Malik Upshaw, 26, and Sakilian Drum, 20, as suspects in the investigation.

Police said Drum turned himself in at the Fresno County Jail.

Fresno Police specifically said Drum was taken into custody for alleged assault with a deadly weapon involving a firearm under California Penal Code 245(a)(2). 

GV Wire reported that Drum was booked on three felony allegations and that his bail was set at $175,000. 

The allegations against Drum remain accusations. A criminal charge does not establish guilt.

Malik Upshaw Remains Wanted for Murder

Police say Malik Upshaw remains outstanding and is wanted under California Penal Code 187(a), murder. 

Fresno Police released a photograph of Upshaw while asking the public for information about his whereabouts.

As of the newest information Central Valley Entertainment could verify on September 29, police had not announced Upshaw’s arrest.

Authorities have also not publicly disclosed the complete evidence that led detectives to identify Upshaw as the murder suspect.

Therefore, Upshaw should be considered accused unless and until the allegations are proven in court.

Victim Identified as Muhammad Muhtaraam-Conley

Authorities identified the victim as 25-year-old Muhammad Muhtaraam-Conley.

Fresno Police released a DMV photograph of Muhtaraam-Conley following his death. FOX26 and other Central Valley news organizations have since published that image alongside photographs from the crime scene. KMPH

ABC30 also reported that Muhtaraam-Conley had been arrested in Clovis approximately 11 days before his death for an alleged probation violation and other weapons-related allegations. Police have not publicly established that the earlier arrest was connected to the Bulldog Liquor shooting. ABC30 Fresno

Investigation Remains Active

Fresno Police say the homicide investigation remains ongoing.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting or Upshaw’s whereabouts to contact Fresno Police Homicide Detective N. Morales at 559-621-2449 or Detective J. Espinoza at 559-621-2415.

Anonymous information can also be submitted through Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP (7867). 

What Is Confirmed

Fresno Police have confirmed that Muhtaraam-Conley was shot outside Bulldog Liquor on September 24, that a verbal confrontation occurred before the shooting, that Drum is in custody on an assault-with-a-firearm allegation, and that Upshaw is wanted on suspicion of murder. 

What Has Not Been Confirmed

Authorities have not publicly released the complete surveillance footage, a detailed motive, the complete sequence of events during the confrontation, or all of the evidence investigators say connects the two suspects to the case.

The investigation remains active, and additional charges or developments could occur.