Photo: Fresno County Sheriff

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of a Santa Clarita Valley man whose body was found on roadside near Coalinga.

Authorities have identified the victim as Hector Steven Lemus, 37, of Santa Clarita.

Lemus was last seen alive at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles around noon on Tuesday. Detectives have learned that Lemus has a history of criminal activity.

Later Tuesday, at about 6:45 p.m., the California Highway Patrol responded to a motorist’s report of an injured person on the side of the road near the junction of Highway 198 and Highway 33, northeast of Coalinga.

Officers discovered a deceased man. The nature of his injuries lead CHP officers to believe he was the victim of a homicide, so they notified Fresno County Sheriff’s homicide detectives.

Homicide detectives arrived on scene at about 9:30 p.m. and found the victim lying in the dirt about 200 feet off of Highway 33. He had been shot to death. Technicians with the Crime Scene Unit collected evidence and detectives interviewed witnesses who had called 911.

This remains an ongoing investigation. It was the sixth homicide of the year in Fresno County.

The invstigation is still underway. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Donna Davis at 559-600-8207.