Police: 15-Year-Old Boy Killed in Overnight Shootout in Palm Springs
Police: 15-Year-Old Boy Killed in Overnight Shootout in Palm Springs
by Contributing Editor
Police are beefing up patrols in a gang violence-plagued part of northern Palm Springs, where a 15-year-old boy was killed and two others may have been injured in a shootout late Wednesday.
Officers responded just before midnight 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 the fatally wounded 15-year-old boy 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, whose name was withheld, “was connected to the stolen Ford Explorer,” but offered no other information about the teen.
Police said they also found evidence that at least two other people may have been injured in the shooting, but did not elaborate.
No arrests had been made in the case as of late Thursday afternoon.
The fatal shooting occurred near where several other shootings, and three homicides, have been reported, including a non-injury shooting 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.
On Thursday afternoon, the Palm Springs City Council announced that additional police officers have been deployed to the northern part of the city.
“The Palm Springs City Council is deeply saddened and concerned about last night’s homicide in Desert Highland Gateway Estates and the continued violence that has escalated between rival gangs. We want our residents to know that your safety is our number one priority,” a prepared statement read.
Earlier this month, Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes said growing reports of violence in certain neighborhoods in northern Palm Springs was the result of a clash between two rival gangs.
His announcement came during a special meeting called by the City Council three days after more than 100 law enforcement officers served search warrants in the Desert Highland Gateway Estates and Santiago Sunrise Village neighborhoods.
The operation was the culmination of a nearly yearlong investigation into 24 confirmed shootings in and around those neighborhoods, including the three homicides, dating to October of last year. In that time, police say they received another 61 reports of shots fired in those neighborhoods, although evidence of gunfire was not found.
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
