SAN DIEGO — Bay Terraces residents reacted with outrage and dismay Wednesday as they learned of a 16-year-old’s death the night before in a shooting that also left a 14-year-old wounded.
Police don’t currently have a description of the person responsible for the shooting, which happened around 8 p.m. at an apartment complex on Meadowbrook Drive in the community, and were urging people to come forward anonymously if they feared retaliation.
Officers say that when they arrived at a parking lot of the complex and found the 16-year-old down, a large, “aggressive” crowd gathered and police had to call in more officers to disperse the onlookers. The teen was taken to the hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.
The second victim, a 14-year-old, came forward later and was treated in the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.
“It’s been getting really out of hand, I tell you,” neighbor Markin Tafoya told FOX 5 Wednesday. “How could a youngster get a hold of a gun. That doesn’t make no sense.”
Adding Tuesday’s shooting, there have been 45 homicides in San Diego so far this year, compared to 56 total in 2020. A spokesperson with San Diego Police Department said Wednesday that getting more guns off the street is a key part of their strategy to curb the violence. So far, officers have seized 1,633 firearms this year.
“We would like to be able to prevent crime before it happens and its better to get a gun off the streets and out of the hands of someone who is going to use it then have to solve the crime after the fact,” Lt. Adam Sharki said.
As for this week’s shooting, police urged anyone with information to come forward. “We definitely want to find out who’s responsible for the killing of this 16-year-old and the wounding of this 14-year-old in the same incident,” said Lt. Andra Brown, with SDPD’s Homicide Unit.
You can reach Brown’s division by calling 619-531-2293, but also provide tips anonymously by contacting San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or visiting their website.
