Following a lull in violence, four people have been shot in East Palo Alto the past eight days and police Chief Ron Davis is starting to feel a little uneasy again, even though no one was killed.
The shootings serve as a reminder that the police department needs to "remain very vigilant," Davis said. "One shooting can lead to a retaliatory shooting."
The spree began on Sunday, Oct. 16, when a 23-year-old East Palo Alto man was found at 9:42 p.m. lying on the sidewalk on the 1400 block of Woodland Avenue, suffering from gunshot wounds to his leg and arm. Five days later, at around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 21, two Modesto men were shot while visiting a resident near Pulgas Avenue and Cypress Avenue.
This past Sunday, an 18-year-old East Palo Alto woman was shot inside an apartment on Newell Court shortly before 10 p.m., although Davis said evidence suggests that may have been an accident.
"Still, three in a week, that causes me a lot of concern," Davis said.
Though no victim was killed, one of the Modesto residents was said to be in critical condition, according to police.
Police are releasing few details about the Oct. 16 and 21 shootings, which are still under investigation. No suspect has been caught in either, and detectives are trying to determine whether the shootings are linked, Davis said.
"The two from Modesto, they were 38 and 42 years old, there's no indication they were gang-related," Davis said. "We know they were
visiting somebody, they really don't have any history in East Palo Alto. We're still working out the details on that one."
The detective investigating the Oct. 16 shooting told The Daily News last week that the victim was uncooperative and claimed he didn't see his attacker or attackers. Police used the city's ShotSpotter system to find the shooting scene.
For East Palo Alto, this has been a roller coaster year on the violence front. July saw four homicides and two nonlethal shootings, prompting Davis to have officers patrol crime "hot spots," check up on residents on probation or parole and bring in suspected gang members for sit-down meetings with law enforcement officials and community representatives.
In August, there were no homicides and only one shooting.
Copyright 2011 - Palo Alto Daily News, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
