California police are searching for a suspect who shot and killed two young boys at an elementary school parking lot over the weekend.
ABC7 reports that the victims, ages 14 and 11, died after an early Saturday morning shooting, at around 1:30 a.m., in the parking lot of Searles Elementary School in Union City. When authorities arrived, they found both victims inside a minivan. The 14-year-old died at the scene. The younger boy passed as first responders rushed him to a local hospital.
As of Monday, the boys’ names have not been released.
“All of a sudden, we heard this pop, pop, pop, pop, I mean it just kept going, it almost sounded like a machine gun type, I mean it was just constant,” Gigi Erickson, a neighbor near the school, told CBS San Francisco. “I’m just so heartbroken that these kids had to go through that.”
Erickson reportedly said wondered what two young boys were doing out so late and how they ended up in an elementary school parking lot.
So far no suspects have been arrested and no motive has been released. According to Union City police, they haven’t found a connection to the school and the shootings. The school district said in a released statement that one of the victims previously attended another school in the district.
“One victim was a student who attended school within the district. The other victim was a former New Haven Unified student,” the statement read.
Press Release UPDATE: Union City Double HomicideIn the early morning hours of Saturday November 23, 2019, two males,…
Posted by Union City Police Department on Saturday, November 23, 2019
Meanwhile, residents are in shock after the boys’ deaths, marking the first homicides in Union City for the year. One resident said her son, who attended school with one of the boys, is now afraid to go outside after the incident.
“How do you just kill kids? I don’t think he has quite grasped this yet. He is afraid to go outside.”
Police said they haven’t yet ruled out that the shootings may have been gang-related. At this time, however, they
Anyone with information should contact the Union City Police Department at 510-675-5227.
“We rely on our community to be our eyes and ears in situations like this, so their part, their role in this is extremely important,” Lieutenant Mendez of Union City PD said.
The story is developing. Check back for additional updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
