Two Goshen men accused of targeting a black neighbor have been charged with hate crimes, District Attorney Tim Ward announced Wednesday.
The charges follow a stabbing Sunday in Goshen that left a man in critical condition in Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center. The man, whose name wasn’t released, is black.
Witnesses say the men yelled racial slurs at the man before beating and stabbing him. Residents believe the incident was race-related and came forward this week to defend the man, who they called, a “good neighbor.”
“A victim of a violent crime suffers from physical injuries of the assault and also from the mental trauma that comes with an attack. What can make a violent attack even more egregious, more traumatic, more hurtful, is when that attack was motivated by something as vile as racial hatred,” Ward said. “As prosecutors and members of this community, our souls cringe when we review cases where suspects are accused of spewing racial slurs followed by violence.”
