SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — An 18-year-old Grant Union High School student died in a shooting hours before he was set to graduate, according to a Twin Rivers Unified School District board member.
ABC10 spoke to students at the high school who said he played football and basketball and the school is "distraught" over his death. The student's identity has not been released. The high school graduation is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Twin Rivers Unified School District released a statement Thursday.
"Losing a child is an unspeakable tragedy and our entire school community is mourning the loss alongside the student’s family and friends. I know you join me in extending our deepest sympathy to the family as they face the pain from this terrible loss," Superintendent Steve Martinez wrote in a statement.
Click here to read the full statement.
The shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in North Highlands, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Amar Gandhi says three people were sitting in a parked car outside a North Highlands home when a man approached the passenger side of the car.
"They were approached by one male suspect who fired what appears to be one gunshot through the passenger side into the vehicle, struck a victim," Gandhi said.
Gandhi says the people in the car left the area and drove to Marysville Boulevard and Grand Avenue near Del Paso Heights where they flagged down a police officer.
An 18-year-old who was shot in the leg was taken to a hospital where he later died. His identity has not been released.
There is no information on a possible shooter, but Gandhi says it appears the victim and the shooter did not know each other. Deputies are investigating the location of the initial shooting with the help of the two people in the car, though Gandhi says they do not have the exact location where the shooting happened.
ABC10 asked Gandhi if the public should be alarmed.
"Very much so, I mean right now we don't know who the suspect is, we don't know the motive," said Gandhi.
The Sacramento Police Department initially responded to Del Paso Heights, but the sheriff's office took over the investigation once they learned the shooting happened in the North Highlands. Gandhi says the shooting in North Highlands was about 6 miles away from the intersection of Marysville Boulevard and Grand Avenue.
This is a developing story and it will be updated as more information becomes available.
Watch more on ABC10
