Young girl shot and killed at Antioch home
The shooting happened five days after an 18-year-old was shot to death in the city.
A young girl died in a shooting Wednesday evening in Antioch, police said.
Police did not release many details but said they were called along with Contra Costa Fire Protection District and ambulance personnel to the 1200 block of Oak Haven Way around 7 p.m.
In a statement, police said they found the girl in an upstairs bedroom with at least one gunshot wound. Officers immediately tried to save her life along with the other personnel, but she died at the scene.
Authorities said she was 12 year old but did not identify her immediately.
Police did not identify the suspect, who they said fled the scene. Investigators interviewed witnesses and have collected some evidence, police said. They believe the shooting happened inside the residence.
The shooting came five days after an 18-year-old girl died by gunfire in the city. An 18-year-old, whom police have not yet identified, was fatally shot on Sunset Lane on May 7.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe said he went to the southeast Antioch neighborhood where a small, emotionally charged crowd had gathered.
“As a parent of an 11-year-old, it’s emotionally difficult to learn about these kinds of incidents,” he wrote on Facebook. “You literally can’t stop thinking about your own child.”
Thorpe praised Antioch police for working “to keep things peaceful” and displaying “incredible restraint under very difficult circumstances.”
While there the mayor said he also saw the girl’s mother who was demanding answers about the tragedy.
“This is an unfortunate situation as these events impact all of us,” Thorpe wrote.
The mayor said he plans to hold a special meeting on Tuesday regarding youth programming measures, including the creation of a Community Led Violence Prevention Task Force, in partnership with Moms Demand Action. He already has unveiled programs for youths that he planned to advance on May 25 as a way to keep teens busy and help stem the tide of violence.
“I reiterate my message to young people, guns are not the answer to solving problems,” he wrote. “Cease fire!”
Check back for updates.