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Young Denair man killed in rural Ceres shooting
Saturday deaths happen on Redwood Road
crime tape

A Denair man was fatally shot Saturday morning in what law enforcement is investigating as a murder-suicide in rural Ceres.

The victim was identified as Benjamin McGuire, 20, of Denair.

The shooter was identified by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department as Damon Banks, 51, of Merced.

The murder-suicide was discovered around 6 a.m. Nov. 5 at a home in the 2600 block of Redwood Road in Ceres, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Sgt. Veronica Esquivez.

The first call to the Sheriff’s Department stated a family member had been shot. As deputies were driving to the scene, another call came in stating a second person inside the home was shot.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

Esquivez said the evidence showed that Banks arrived at the home and shot McGuire and then turned the gun on himself.

“The motive for Banks’ actions is still unclear,” Esquivez said.

The Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Summerton at (209) 525-7032.