UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30 – Police say Nyssa youth involved.
A juvenile is hospitalized in critical condition with a gunshot wound and several others were in custody Saturday after a Friday night shooting involving two vehicles, according to the Ontario Police Department.
The shooting came following a fight between juveniles and young adults, one group with a sport utility vehicle and one in with a sedan, that occurred just after 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, in the parking lot of Albertsons on Southwest Alameda Drive, the police said in a statement Saturday.
Police said after the fight the SUV pulled onto Alameda Drive, firing about a dozen shots back at the other group. A juvenile standing in the parking lot with the second group was struck. Those in the sedan loaded the injured youth, drove about four blocks and dropped the youth off at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario, according to police.
Responding officers encountered the sedan near the hospital as it drove “recklessly and without headlights.” With police in pursuit, the sedan turned south on South Park Boulevard, along the western edge of the campus of Treasure Valley Community College, and crashed in Evergreen Cemetery, the press release said.
One person remained at the car while a man and a juvenile ran. The juvenile was subsequently caught and police Saturday were working to locate the man.
A Nyssa city councilor, Roberto Escobedo, said he witnessed the shooting while he was fueling at Jacksons on Southwest Fourth Avenue and Alameda Drive..
“As I was trying to leave the parking lot a Jeep took off crazy and a guy popped out of the passenger side window and started shooting,” he said in a message to the Enterprise.
Escobedo, who wasn’t hurt, said he followed the vehicle west on Southwest Fourth Avenue before it turned into a residential area.
Police later located the SUV and took the driver into custody without incident, according to their statement. The other suspects have not been arrested as of Saturday morning.
The injured juvenile was transferred to an Idaho hospital and was in critical condition, police said.
The Ontario agency said because the investigation was active, no details would be released about the injured juvenile or those taken into custody.
On Saturday afternoon, the Nyssa Police Department said in a Facebook post that some of the juveniles involved were from Nyssa.
“We understand that this kind of violence can foster potential retaliation. We are working closely with the Nyssa School District and Ontario Police Department to help prevent any retaliation within our communities,” the post said.
Ontario police are asking that anyone with information contact Detective BJ Snyder at 541-881-3202 or [email protected].
This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is released.
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