Nov. 24 (UPI) — Two children were shot and killed in a Northern California elementary school parking lot, police said.
Union City Police said the two boys aged 11 and 14 were sitting in a van in the west parking lot of Sarles Elementary School when an unknown suspect or suspects shot into their vehicle multiple times on Saturday morning.
The 14-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and the 11-year-old was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
New Haven Unified School District Superintendent John Thompson issued a statement saying one of the victims attended a school in the district and the other was a former student.
“We will have support for our students and staff at the sites where these students attended when school resumes after the Thanksgiving break. We also work closely with the UCPD to ensure that our schools are as safe as they can be,” he said.
Union City Police said there was no sign of a connection between the shooting and the school, noting that people occasionally gather in the parking lot.
No arrests have been made and police are still working to identify a motive, stating they have not ruled out the possibility it may be gang-related.
Crime scene investigators collected shell casings and other evidence from the scene but were also unable to provide a description of the weapons used or how many weapons were involved.
Police are also working to determine whether the shooting is related to another incident in which two men were hospitalized and released after being shot at a local intersection, although they said there was no evidence to indicate they were linked.
