NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. — Community activists have confirmed the identity of the 18-year-old man killed Sunday in North Highlands as Julian Villa.
Villa, who went by the stage name Hotboy Juju, was a Highlands High School graduate. He was the passenger in a truck near Watt Avenue and A Street when he was killed in a drive-by shooting, according to the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department.
A small memorial with flowers and candles is growing near where he was killed. Family members have set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
Sacramento area activist, Berry Accius, organizer of the youth mentor and leadership program, Voice of the Youth, has been working with the Villa family to provide support.
“Very unfortunate that he gets gunned down in a brazen crime, but I think this also has to be a wake-up call,” Accius said.
It’s unclear at this point what led up to the shooting, but Accius says it appears to be an attack. He is warning young people to be careful of how they portray themselves on social media. He’s warning parents to pay close attention to what their children post.
As of March 23, no suspects have been identified by the Sacramento Sheriffs Department.
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