Boy, 8, dies after being struck in drive-by shooting in Pomona, authorities say

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Boy dies in drive-by shooting in Pomona
A drive-by shooting in Pomona left an 8-year-old boy dead on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017.

POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- An 8-year-old boy died after he was struck Monday evening in a drive-by shooting in a residential area of Pomona, authorities said.

Officers and firefighter-paramedics responded about 6:36 p.m. to a report of a possible shooting victim in need of medical aid at a home in the 1100 block of 11th Street, according to the Pomona Police Department.

The emergency responders found a male victim at the scene who had been shot, said a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Police later confirmed the boy was 8 years old.

Paramedics treated the victim at the location and then transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. It was unclear how many times he was shot.

He and his family had been visiting family members when at least three bullets hit the house, according to investigators.

"The child was inside the home," said police Sgt. Bert Sanchez. "It appears (he was) somewhere between the kitchen and the living room when he was struck."

Neighbors, who declined to be publically identified, said the married couple who live at the residence are schoolteachers with two children of their own.

"This family has zero ties to gangs that we know of," Sanchez said. "From all indications, it's a very good family."

The neighbors said that, along with the victim, other children were at the home at the time of the incident.

"It appears they were just (at) a family gathering with friends -- minding their own business ... having a good time," the police sergeant said.

No description of the suspect was available, and the motive for the shooting was unknown, according to authorities.