Community meeting to address EPA shooting

EAST PALO ALTO, CA

The mayor, along with East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis, will lead a discussion on how the community and other law enforcement officials can help keep the city safe, Abrica said.

"We want to be proactive and work closely with the community to enhance our resources," Abrica said.

The most recent shootings left three men injured Monday, police said.

Police went to the intersection of Bell Street and Cooley Avenue on reports of the first shooting at about 5:15 p.m.

Arriving officers found a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man, both of East Palo Alto, suffering gunshot wounds, police said.

Both men were taken to a local hospital. The 19-year-old man was listed in critical condition and 21-year-old man was in stable condition, according to police.

A man was injured in another shooting at about 8:45 p.m. Monday, police said.

While police were summoned to the 2800 block of Illinois Street because of a Shot Spotter activation, officers learned that a possible shooting victim arrived at a home in the 1600 block of Michigan Avenue.

Arriving officers found Fernando Knight, a 43-year-old East Palo Alto man, who had suffered a gunshot wound to his leg.

Knight was transported to a local hospital where he was listed in stable condition, according to police.

Police are also investigating a shooting that hospitalized a 23-year-old woman in East Palo Alto early Saturday morning.

East Palo Alto resident Mataele Heehau was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to her lower extremities when police responded to the intersection of Newbridge Street and Jervis Avenue after hearing shots fired at about 12:10 a.m., according to East Palo Alto police.

Heehau was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Saturday, police said.

Heehau told police she was with a companion when suspects described only as males in dark clothing approached them on the sidewalk and began shooting.

Heehau's companion fled the scene without knowing she had been shot, police said.

In a separate incident on Friday, two men and one woman were hospitalized after being wounded in a drive-by shooting reported at 8:30 p.m. near One Stop Market at 1493 E. Bayshore Road in East Palo Alto.

Police are also investigating a shooting on Thursday that left a 23-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl wounded when a man opened fire on their vehicle while it was stopped at the intersection of Bell Street and University Avenue, according to police.

Abrica said the number of shootings generally rises around the summer and holidays, but said he did not know why.

"Around holidays, there's more domestic violence in general," he said.

Wednesday's meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the community room at City Hall, according to Abrica.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.