On Wednesday night, investigators combed the area around the GameStop store near Southland Mall. The victim died after being shot inside the GameStop. We now know he was a 20-year-old from San Francisco.
Police still have very few details, so detectives had to return to the scene Wednesday night. They, along with the Hayward Fire Department, searched the area behind the GameStop. Even though police say they found the gun that was used in the shooting earlier in the day, they would not say what they were specifically looking for.
"It was brazen," said Captain Darryl McAllister, from the Hayward Police Department. "But at last we were able to get here and isolate it, so it didn't get bigger than what it was."
There was a dangerous and volatile situation at the entrance of Southland Mall in Hayward. Mall surveillance cameras caught two men, one of them armed, chasing another through the Mervyn's parking lot. They crossed the street and headed straight for an adjacent shopping center.
"The victim ran into the GameStop while he was being chased and that was a dead end, he couldn't run anymore and that's where the shooting took place," said Captain McAllister.
The victim was shot once in the head. Manuel Cardenez heard the shot and he tried to help.
"As soon as I was going to step into the store, a lady told me they had guns and then the guy came out after that, and he looked at me and ran away," said Manuel Cardenez, a Sprint employee.
The two suspects ran through a breeze way, but because of all of the 911 calls, police were already there waiting. Both men were taken into custody.
"I was scared to come to work to know that someone got shot around the place I work," said Janelle Olais, a Cold Stone Creamery employee.
Police think the victim was a very specific target. It seems he'd been arguing with the suspects moments before the attack. However, the fact that the victim chose the GameStop as his hiding place, was a random decision.
"We're so scared and nervous, we're lucky he didn't go in [the Panda Express]. There's a door over there, he could have run in there but, oh my god, we were lucky he didn't," said Virginia Deluna, a Panda Express employee.
The GameStop closed immediately, but after some reassurance from police, all of the other businesses in the area stayed open.
Police will not tell us the names of the suspects. They say it could jeopardize the investigation, especially if more people are involved in this crime.
