Gunfire hits boys who were with groups outside Modesto home; 5-year-old boy killed

Detectives on Sunday continued to piece together what led up to a Saturday night drive-by shooting that killed a 5-year-old boy and wounded a 6-year-old boy in east Modesto.

The boys appeared to have been among a couple of groups of people standing outside a home about 9:45 p.m. Saturday when gunfire erupted, according to Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves.

The shooting occurred in the 1400 block of Lake Park Court, south of Briggsmore Avenue and just east of Lakewood Avenue. The neighborhood is made up of a cluster of small duplex homes down the street from a gated apartment complex.

Officers responded to the neighborhood after a 911 caller reported a child had been shot. The officers arrived and found the injured 5-year-old at the scene.

Authorities performed life-saving measures on the 5-year-old boy, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Police on Sunday had not released the boy's name.

Witnesses in the area told police the 6-year-old boy's family had taken the child to a local hospital. Graves said investigators later determined the boy suffered injuries in the shooting that were not life-threatening.

Graves said detectives have not identified any suspects in the deadly shooting. The detectives also have not determined a motive for the violent attack. Police on Sunday had not released any suspect or vehicle descriptions.

Shortly after Saturday night's shooting, a crowd gathered behind crime scene tape on the Mulholland-side lawn of the Park Lakewood apartment complex.

Tammy Martin, said she and her friend were at home inside their apartment there when they heard something loud outside that they initially thought was a motorcycle. “The next thing we know, we were hearing all these police cars,” Martin said.

Police officials ask anyone with information about the shooting to call Detective Ra Pouv at (209) 572-9826 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Bee Staff Writer Pat Clark contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 29, 2017 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Gunfire hits boys who were with groups outside Modesto home; 5-year-old boy killed."