15-Year-Old Boy Killed in Overnight Shootout in Palm Springs, Police Say
15-Year-Old Boy Killed in Overnight Shootout in Palm Springs, Police Say
by Contributing Editor
A 15-year-old boy died and others were assumed injured in an overnight shootout reported in Palm Springs, police said Thursday.
Police responded at 11:58 p.m. Wednesday to reports of gunfire in the Desert Highland Gateway Estates neighborhood, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.
Police found shell casings and a stolen Ford Explorer abandoned and riddled with bullets near the intersection of North Granada Avenue and Bon Air Drive.
Less than a quarter-mile away, police located a 15-year-old boy, who was not identified, fatally shot in the front yard of a home in the 300 block of Avenida Cerca.
According to police, a shootout occurred between people riding in the stolen Explorer and others at a home near where the vehicle was found abandoned. Police say the 15-year-old “was connected to the stolen Ford Explorer,” but offered few other details about the victim.
Police also found evidence that at least two other people were injured in the shooting, although additional information was not provided.
No arrests have been made in the case, and a motive was not immediately known.
The fatal shooting occurred near where several other shootings, and three homicides, were reported recently, including a non-injury shooting reported on Aug. 21 at the same intersection where the abandoned vehicle was found and where police found shell casings on the ground but no victims or witnesses.
Earlier this month, police announced that a nearly yearlong investigation into dozens of Palm Springs shootings — including the three recent homicides — culminated in search warrants being served in the Desert Highland Gateway Estates and Santiago Sunrise Village neighborhoods.
The investigation stemmed from 24 confirmed shootings in and around the two neighborhoods dating to October of last year. In that time, police say they also received 61 reports of shots fired in those neighborhoods, although evidence of gunfire was not found.
Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes addressed the City Council during a special meeting called three days after the operation in response to the violence. He said the crimes were a result of two rival gangs clashing, but offered few other details.
“This is not a Gateway Estates problem, this is not a 1500 East San Rafael problem: This is a city of Palm Springs problem. It can happen anywhere in our city if these two rival entities cross paths,” Reyes said.
Anyone with information about the shootings was urged to call the Palm Springs Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit at 760-323-8129. Anonymous tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
