North Richmond man killed in drive-by shooting
on May 14, 2012
A man was shot and killed Monday morning as he walked in front the North Richmond Senior Center. No suspect or motive is yet known.
By 8:20 a.m., the victim’s body was covered with a yellow tarp at the southwest corner of Silver Avenue and Fifth Street. Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives roped off a square block area around the scene, and large crowds of residents clustered near the four entry points to the intersection.
More than 20 shell casings were strewn in the middle of Fifth Street, about 20 feet south of the body.
Sheriff spokesman Jimmy Lee said the shooting occurred at about 7:45 a.m. and the victim was a 22-year-old North Richmond resident.
Residents milled around the streets surrounding the scene Monday morning, some crying, others talking into cell phones. People talking in the street and commenters posting on Facebook expressed similar concerns that children walking to nearby Verde Elementary School may have been exposed to the sights and sounds of the shooting and its aftermath.
Antwon Cloird, an anti-violence advocate who heads a nonprofit group called Men and Women of Purpose, was among the people standing beyond the police tape on Silver Avenue. “We got to change the mindset, we have to react and get the city’s support to stop the killing,” he said.
The killing is the second in unincorporated North Richmond in less than a month. On April 17, Lenny Peterson, 22, was shot and killed on the corner of Market Avenue and Fifth Street, exactly one block north of the killing Monday.
In February, Rene “Lil G” Garcia was shot and killed in North Richmond, but on the city side of the border.
North Richmond is a tiny community of about 4,000 residents. Most of the one-square mile territory is in unincorporated Contra Costa County, meaning it is policed by the Sheriff’s Department. The southernmost blocks are part of the city of Richmond, and patrolled by the city’s police department.
The suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark colored SUV. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600.
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Its a trip how advocates preach to the community about stopping the violence when its the community thats doing it. We’re all a part of it whether it’s because we heard or seen something and have kept silent. Whose turning in family members? We all act like we’re not involved but we are. You want to change the violence? change the culture! because thats what it is. There’s a sense of normality in Richmond neighborhoods among certain groups of young men[mostly all]about asserting your transition from boy to man by putting in work with serious weaponry. I could write a book on the reasons why, but mainly because of a severe disconnect from society as a whole. I’m saying more than one or two young people are so disenfranchised but droves or gangs of are young men and boys.