Day before graduation, California high school student dies after being shot in vehicle

An 18-year-old Grant Union High School student, who was set to graduate with his class Thursday evening, was killed in a shooting Wednesday night in Sacramento County’s North Highlands area, authorities said.

Counselors were sent to the campus to help grieving students, and additional security will be in place at the school for the graduation ceremony.

In a letter to students, parents and staff Thursday, Steve Martinez, superintendent of Twin Rivers Unified School District, confirmed that one of the graduating seniors from Grant High “was shot and killed last night in a horrific act of violence.”

“Losing a child is an unspeakable tragedy and our entire school community is mourning the loss alongside the student’s family and friends,” Martinez wrote in the letter. “I know you join me in extending our deepest sympathy to the family as they face the pain from this terrible loss.”

Investigators believe the fatal shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m.

The young man was inside a vehicle with two other people at an unknown location in North Highlands when a person walked up and shot into the vehicle through the passenger’s side, striking the 18-year-old in the leg, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said.

The driver then took the vehicle toward the area of Grand Avenue and Marysville Boulevard, where the occupants flagged down a Twin Rivers Police Department officer, Gandhi said.

The gunshot victim was transported to Mercy San Juan hospital in Carmichael, where he was pronounced dead, Gandhi said.

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting, and no suspect information was available. The student’s identity also has not been released.

The superintendent said school officials know very little information about the deadly shooting. He said school officials will do everything possible to support students, staff and families as they deal with their grief.

Martinez said Grant High’s graduation ceremony would go on as scheduled. He said additional security would be in place, and everyone would be screened before entering Grant High stadium.

“We will move forward with the ceremony in honor and celebration of the student all of us will sorely miss, and in recognition of the achievements of all students who are graduating,” Martinez wrote in the letter. “While the shooting did not take place at one of our facilities or during school hours, it is our continued mission to ensure that all children are safe from violence and the havoc it wreaks in our neighborhoods.”

He encouraged students, parents and staff to speak up when they see something concerning or hear about something that could threaten everyone’s safety.

“We need your help to address and alleviate fears in our neighborhoods,” Martinez said. “Your voice is a critical part in keeping our communities safe, so if you see something that doesn’t look or feel right, say something.”

Student’s slaying ‘heartbreaking’

Ramona Landeros, a former member of the Twin Rivers Unified Board of Trustees, said news of the Grant High student’s death is “heartbreaking.” She said a child whose life was cut short is something nobody should take lightly.

She’s a Del Paso Heights resident, her nephew attends Grant High and she speaks to a lot of parents through her work as a community activist. Landeros said Grant High students face threats of violence too frequently with fights, sometimes involving adults confronting students at school, and constant campus lockdowns.

“It’s no longer a culture of learning; it’s a culture of crisis,” Landeros said. “A lot of young people have access to guns, more than the access they have to a library.”

The student killed Thursday was “a good student,” she said after speaking to a teacher who once had him in her class. Graduating from high school is “a huge milestone” for any student raised in a tough neighborhood, and now this student’s future has been dashed away, she said.

Landeros is the founder of a group called the Benito Juarez Foundation, which organizes community events like food drives. She said there needs to be more communication with parents about the dangers their students face, such as town hall meetings.

She said the neighborhood is a tight-knit community that is ready to help.

“The people who are most impacted are the one who are going to have the answers,” Landeros said.

The superintendent asked members of the community if they see or hear about something that is concerning to call local law enforcement or Twin Rivers police at 916-566-2777.