A 15-year-old boy and his 17-year-old brother were shot and killed during a birthday party at an Airbnb in Oakland, California on October 1, multiple news outlets reported.
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Two teenage brothers were shot and killed while celebrating a birthday at an Airbnb in Oakland, California on October 1, according to police and several news outlets.
There were teenagers identified by family and friends as Jazzy Saleta Garcia, 17, and Angel Saleta Garcia, 15, CBS News reported. They were both students at Berkeley High School in California.
The authorities say there was a shooting on Apgar Street.
Police believe more than 30 people were inside the residence, which was rented for the 17-year-old’s birthday party, Oakland Police Chief LeRon L. Armstrong said during a press conference broadcast live on Facebook.
According to Armstrong, officials believe “three individuals arrived in a vehicle and entered the home, two of whom began shooting.”
Two other people were killed at the party, Armstrong said. This was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle police were in stable condition as of the morning of October 2
Armstrong said the shooting was not gang-related, but police believe it was “the result of a conflict that may have occurred at the school earlier.”
“It touches the soul. I talked to my father earlier and that was it the first time in his 18 years of life I heard him crying,” Melanie Garcia, a cousin of the slain teenagers, told KGO.
Garcia told the outlet that the teenagers were the oldest of six siblings, and that they were “role models” for their younger siblings.
Their siblings are ages 13, 9, 6 and 3, according to a GoFundMe their aunt set up for their funeral expenses.
“Obviously, it’s very tragic for the community, tragic for the family, tragic for Berkeley High School and all the students who were present and those who know these two young men,” Armstrong said, adding that “too many children access to weapons, and that causes enormous damage.”
School officials said in an email they were “deeply saddened” by the loss, CBS News reported.
“Our hearts go out to their family and all those affected by this tragedy,” the statement said, according to CBS News. “Because it was our own two, we all feel this pain together and have to hold each other extra close and take care of each other.”
On the GoFundMe page, Angel was described as a “gentle soul.” Jazzy was the “quieter of the two” who took on the “role of advocate,” the GoFundMe said.
A witness who lives near the scene of the shooting told KGO she was in her living room when she “heard 10-12 rapid fire shots and then a bunch of kids screaming.” She saw a car speed away and many teenagers running away from the party.
The family does not know if the boys were targeted, The San This is reported by the Francisco Chronicle.
“From my perspective, it feels like you see two young brown kids who are victims of gun violence and most people automatically jump to gangs. This is not true. My little boys were not connected to anything. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said the teenagers’ cousin, according to KGO.
According to the police, there were no arrests.
Oakland is about 10 miles east of San Francisco