STOCKTON, Calif. — Stockton police are investigating after an 18-year-old man was shot and killed in a Walmart parking lot in Stockton on Monday night.
It happened off of Hammer Lane around 6:30 p.m.
As the candles and balloons start to pile up at a roadside memorial in the Walmart parking lot, a family is grieving the loss of their 18-year-old brother, cousin, son, and friend.
“No parent should have to bury their child in no circumstances," Harold Halcolmb, a shopper that works across the street said.
The shooting happened at 6:30 p.m., a time when shoppers say the parking lot is usually packed.
“It’s pretty busy, fairly busy, so it’s just like to know something like that took place when there are a lot of people out, it’s like, that just goes to show the carelessness of the days that we’re living in," Halcolmb said.
Stockton police say this marks the city’s 53rd homicide so far in 2020. At this time last year, there had only been 32.
Investigators say this one was a targeted attack and they believe it to be drug-related.
“Anytime you have a gun-related shooting or gun-related homicide, we’re always concerned about the possibility of gang retaliatory shootings from occurring," Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department said.
That’s why Stockton police are teaming up with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office to saturate the Hammer Lane corridor along with other high gun violence neighborhoods with more officers.
“We need to be out in these neighborhoods so that we can just have a high visible police presence so that we can prevent any further violence in those neighborhoods," Silva said.
Police do not have any suspect information at this time and the victim's name has not been released.
Because this homicide happened at 6:30 p.m. in a busy parking lot, they do believe someone saw this happen so they are asking anyone that saw something last night to come forward with their information by calling their non-emergency number at 209-937-8377 or the Investigations Division at 209-937-8323.
You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600.
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