STOCKTON, Calif. — Youth advocates and the Stockton community are frustrated after a series of shootings.
A Monday afternoon left a 15-year-old dead and a 16-year-old injured at North Center and Channel Streets in downtown Stockton.
"It was senseless. It wasn't necessary, how I took it," said Pat Valverde, a community member.
Valverde was sitting at a nearby bench when he saw what he describes as two young men fighting.
"They're squaring off at each other and then the other guy, I believe, he pulled out a gun, and boom boom and then after that is two shots.," said Valverde.
The two teens were found with gunshot wounds. The Stockton Unified School District later confirmed the teen who died was a student at Franklin High School.
Toni McNeil, the executive director of Concrete Development, said there are major concerns and there are many organizations working and centering their attention on youth.
"However it almost feels like, you feel frustrated because you don't feel like you can move fast enough, like we can provide resources fast enough in order to alleviate the pressure, the pain and the trauma within our community," said McNeil.
McNeil said there’s no one thing causing the shootings, and she believes those most affected by the violence need to be the ones invited to the table to offer solutions.
"It's all hands on deck and we need to make sure that our communities feel empowered. When we say community-based organizations, I wonder if we're using the right language that invites the community in to becoming part of the solution. Because in the community, we are what we need," she said.
McNeil said she and other community-based organizations are going to do door-knocking and outreach in some of the most in-need areas. They'll connect families and neighbors to resources," she said.
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